The Flaws of Mortality
by Cerberose
Summary: With the influx of new SOLDIER cadets and the prospect of a war looming on the horizon, the Silver General and his companions must do everything in their power to keep peace. However, they start to question their loyalty when certain secrets come to light. AU, pairings inside.
1. I: Touch Me Buttocks

AN: Hello all! Before we all delve into this fanfiction, a few pieces of info:

\- Even though I think my English is pretty good, it's not my native language. Please do forgive me if you notice any mistakes. I'd also greatly appreciate it if you'd notify me of these mistakes through PM or review!

\- I'm rating this M, just to be safe. I'm not entirely sure where I want this story to go when it comes to (explicit) romance, so again, just to be safe.

\- The main pairings are as follows: Sephiroth x OC (m/f), Vincent x OC (m/m) and Angeal x Zack. There will possibly (most likely) be mentions of other pairings.

This is the first fanfiction I've written in ages, so reviews would be greatly appreciated :) Now without further ado, on with the story!

* * *

 **I: Touch Me Buttocks**

The silver man was staring at the documents scattered messily on the desk before him, eyes focused on the lines but the words didn't register, didn't stick. He glared at the sharp, ugly handwriting, cat-like green eyes narrowing dangerously, secretly hoping that the pages would cower and tremble under his gaze the same way their writers did, but of course they didn't. They were just papers, after all. He sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly before nodding to himself in an act of encouragement, hoping he could at least finish one stack of papers before bed. Grabbing the heap closest to his hand, he began to read the list of names.

A new year had started, so hundreds of boys and men enlisted in the Shinra army, hoping to become more than they were. Hoping for a better future for themselves or their family, hoping to become heroes or even hoping to simply catch a glimpse of the famous Silver General or his direct subordinates. Most of these men would be sent home after the first few months, half of the resulting group would be killed in action. From the last remaining men, only a handful of them would reach the SOLDIER rank, the rest of them would become troopers in the infantry. The work in the army was dangerous, dirty and everything but glamorous and they knew it to be. Still, they clung to their hopes and dreams as if they were the last things left on the Planet to keep them sane, or alive even. They all had their reasons, and normally the General could all but respect that.

Normally he could, indeed. But today, Sephiroth hated them all equally. And tomorrow too, probably. They were the reason for this obnoxious pile of folders, the huge stack binders and the mess of paperwork scattered about his desk, after all. The General swore to kick Heidegger off the highest tower of the Shinra building the next time he saw the man. The corner of his lips twitched up ever so slightly at the mental image of the fat, green-clad man flailing his stubby arms and his stubby legs as he fell and fell and fell and then _splat_. He'd be sure to make the President of Shinra clean the resulting mess personally. Just for good measure.

He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Despite his trying to encourage himself, he obviously wasn't going to get any more work done today. He grabbed all the work that lay on his desk in the most disorganized chaos it had ever been, normally he was extremely tidy and organized after all, and stacked them in one neat pile before getting off his chair. All this paperwork wouldn't have been so bad if the President hadn't decided to send his Second in Command away on a mission. A simple escort mission, to boot. SOLDIER Thirds would be able to handle a peaceful escort with ease, but the Head of Weapons Development always demanded one of the highest ranked SOLDIERs to be her bodyguard, and of course, the President was happy to oblige, resulting in even more work for the General and his Commanders.

Sephiroth walked to his kitchen, more mental images of satisfying deaths flashing across his mind, this time with the crimson-clad lady starring in the role of the deceased. He smiled, filled his kettle with water and put it on the stove, hoping that some tea would help him relax before bed. Tomorrow he'd have to speak a word of welcome to the new cadets in the ceremony the President felt was a necessity. To Sephiroth, it was a nuisance. However, ever rationally as he was, he knew that his showing up was great for morale. The cadets were nervous, they always were, and after having said his piece, most of them relaxed. The new recruits idolized the Silver General and his direct subordinates, after all, and having your idols wish you the best in the trials to come must make a man feel better, more confident. Sephiroth didn't have anyone he looked up to, but he could imagine.

A handful of the new recruits would get even more nervous, however, and that in turn would make the General's entire day. He would never forget one cadet specifically, the poor boy had wet himself and passed out before the speech was done. Sephiroth lifted his eyebrow in amusement, he couldn't recall ever hearing of that boy again after that incident. He made a mental note to ask Commander Hewley about the kid's fate. Angeal always knew everything when it came to the cadets and lower ranked SOLDIERs. A true social butterfly, the Commander was.

Sephiroth smiled at the image of Angeal Hewley with big, colourful butterfly wings sprouting out of his ridiculously muscled back. No, he mused, wings certainly didn't suit the log of a man.

* * *

Commander Angeal Hewley sat on his bed, holding his PHS to his left ear, laughing at the misery of the woman on the other side of the line.

"Did you seriously eat that?" he asked, amused.

"Stop laughing, it's not funny!" she yelled, her normally pleasant, soft voice was rough and hoarse. Angeal imagined it was because she'd been screaming at Scarlet. The two women all but hated each other. Scarlet couldn't have been happy to hear the Lieutenant would be her escort.

"Who in their right mind eats the _ass_ of a Touch Me?" Valon moaned in displeasure.

Angeal laughed again, wishing he could see her face.

"It's a delicacy in Gongaga, you know."

"Delicacy my a-"

"Valon Harper," Angeal warned. His voice was stern but he wasn't quite able to mask his entertainment. "that's enough profanity for today, young lady."

"I'm sorry, _dad_." Valon laughed. "Anyways, enough talk about buttocks. How's things at HQ?"

Angeal sighed, rubbing his temple with his free hand. With the influx of new cadets, things have been absolutely mad. Sephiroth locked himself in his office, refusing the help of his subordinates and probably imagining the cruel deaths of the Shinra Executives. Meanwhile, his co-Commander, Genesis Rhapsodos, seemed more distant than ever. The redhead's face buried ever-so-deeply in his book. At least the man finished his work before reading the play and for that, Angeal was grateful. He didn't know how much more work he could handle. Between his ever increasing stack of paperwork, the lessons he gave to the lower ranked SOLDIERs and training with his apprentice, Zachary Fair, he barely had time left to eat or sleep. The last thing he'd have time to do was babysit the General and his co-Commander. He wondered when the last time was the two had eaten, slept or even showered. He scrunched up his nose at the thought.

"Let me guess," Valon said when the raven-haired Commander had been silent in thought. "You're drowning in work, Sephiroth is being an egg and Genesis is even more of an ass than usual." It wasn't a question, she stated it as a fact.

"I thought you said we were done talking about buttocks." Angeal joked, but continued before the Lieutenant could retort. "But yes, you hit the nail on the head."

Valon sighed. Even though he couldn't see her, Angeal could perfectly imagine her look of frustration. Her eyes slightly narrowed, gaze nearly matching the Silver General's icy cold expression. Any lesser a man would crumble under the weight of this expression, but Angeal was too used to it to even notice.

"The boys can barely survive a week without Mama Val, it seems." she complained. Even though she was genuinely irritated, she couldn't refrain herself from joking. "But I've got good news. I'll be home soon."

Angeal perked up a little, that was good news indeed. It wasn't unusual for one of them to be away from home for a long time. Usually more than one of them was on a mission, leaving only one or two back at the Shinra headquarters. The missions the Firsts were assigned to also tended to last longer than the week Valon had been gone, but with the new cadets coming in their work had quadrupled and that one short week would feel like two months. He couldn't be more thankful for her early return.

"When will you leave?"

"Scarlet wants to leave early in the morning, so if all goes well, we'll be home before the ceremony. Oh, Angeal?"

"Yeah?"

"Please don't tell Seph yet, I want to surprise him."

"Sure thing." he grinned mischievously. The Silver General despised surprises.


	2. II: Marshlands

AN: Hey all :) I just wanted to tell you guys my planning on updates: I'm going to try and write a chapter a week! Also, sorry for the slow start, I just kind of want to introduce both OC s before we get into the action & plot.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

 **II: Marshlands**

" _But why do you want to be a SOLDIER?" the Turk asked. "It's dangerous for women to-" his rant was interrupted by the young woman, who waved his reasoning away with her hand._

" _I don't care how dangerous it is. It's dangerous for men, too. I heard that half of the cadets die before they even make it in the army." she responded, her voice monotone and bored, as if they were discussing the weather._

" _But women don't even make it past the first Mako tests. You're being a fool, girl." The brunet pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. The woman was more hard-headed than a damn Poodler._

" _I know, I know." she sighed. "But I have to try. I really think I can make it, Devon."_

 _The Turk shook his head. "I can't lose you."_

" _You won't. I won't die." she ruffled her raven hair in thought and nodded to herself. Her decision was made and there wasn't a thing in the world he could say or do to change her mind. She placed her fisted hand on her heart and raised the corners of her lips in a determined smile. "I swear it. I won't die."_

" _Shiva's tits, Valon." he cursed, recognizing she would disregard every word he'd speak. "Very well, then."_

* * *

The Lieutenant rolled her eyes when the Head of Weapons Development kicked the still smoking car, not even denting it with her lack of strength. The heels didn't help, either. Their car had broken down in the middle of the marshlands, smoke and flames rising out of the hood. Just their luck.

"Calm down, the Turks are coming to pick us up." Valon grumbled. She seated herself on the mossy ground and closed her eyes, trying to enjoy the warmth of the rising sun. Feeling it's rays was somewhat of a rarity for the SOLDIER First. Even on the upper plate, the sun didn't quite reach one's skin. The smog blocked most of the warmth and light, making a moment such as this a rarity, often reserved for missions away from Midgar. It could've been relaxing, if it weren't for the blonde woman pacing back and forth behind the Lieutenant.

"Can't you do something?" the woman in question wailed. Valon sighed for what felt like the thousandth time in one short week and decided to ignore the question. A Turk would be here soon to pick them up and they'd be back at Shinra Headquarters in time for the ceremony, she reassured herself.

A rumbling sound snapped her out of her thoughts. "Scarlet, shut up." she whispered to the still-complaining executive. Slowly, she got up and drew her sword, trying not to make any sudden movements so she wouldn't look threatening to the source of the noise. One red and one blue eye scanned the field, slowly turning around trying to find the source. Whatever beast that sound made, it wasn't friendly.

"Don't you speak to me like-"

"Scarlet!"

Another rumble, closer this time. Without enhanced hearing, the blond executive hadn't heard the first sound. This one was audible though, even for her, and she stopped dead in her tracks. Her foot still hovered above the ground slightly, she wasn't stupid enough to provoke a beast by pacing around.

"Lieutenant," Scarlet whispered. "Was that the Zolom?" a shiver ran down her spine at the thought, even SOLDIER Firsts had trouble keeping the creature at bay. She nearly sighed of relief when the Lieutenant shook her head. Valon waved her free hand towards her, indicating for Scarlet to get close to her. "Stay behind me," she mouthed. Scarlet nodded and shuffled closer to the black- and white haired woman.

Suddenly and in a jerking motion, the Lieutenant turned around. Her free arm raised protectively before Scarlet, cursing when the ground trembled and cracked only a few feet in front of them. She grabbed the executive's arm and dragged her to the car. "Hide behind the car." she demanded and Scarlet didn't dare complain, now seeing what had startled Valon.

"What the hell is that?"

* * *

One of the perks about being a Turk was having override codes for nearly every security system in Midgar. Including the vending machines filled with various brands of cigarettes that were scattered about the streets in the upper plate. Devon smirked as he grabbed a pack, a camel adorning the yellow carton. He was about to turn and walk away, but halted, deciding to grab another pack. _For Valon,_ he mused. Gaia knows she'll need some. He figured he should stop by a liquor store and pick up a bottle of wine, as well. Maybe two.

He put his hands in his pockets and made his way back to the Shinra HQ. The birds only just started singing, he noticed. He decided he'd grab a cup of coffee before getting to work. The Turk was _not_ a morning person. He lit one of the cigarettes he'd just now 'borrowed' from the machine and grinned to himself. _At least I'm not stuck with Scarlet._

He almost pitied Valon. Almost, if not for the extremely stressed General Sephiroth who'd be waiting for his Second in Command to come back home. Yes, Scarlet might be unbearable, but the great General in this state was even worse. Devon was glad the Silver man was not _his_ boss. Not that Tseng was any fun, but at least the Wutai man was predictable and definitely not murderous.

"Good morning, Devon." the Turk turned around at the familiar voice and raised his arm, pressing only his index- and middle finger against his temple in a lazy salute. "G'morning, boss. I was just thinking about you." he said, winking flirtatiously. The Wutaian Turk stared at his subordinate blankly before fishing a set of keys out of his pocket.

"I've got a mission for you."

Devon grinned, brown eyes glancing at the set of keys. "Where'd ya want me to go, boss?"

"I want you to pick up Scarlet and her entourage. Their car broke down in the marshlands near the Mythril Mine."

The Turk nearly burst out laughing. He could almost hear the shriek of fear the Head of Weapons Development would release at the sight of the terrifying monster lurking in that area. For his friend her sanity, he hoped the women wouldn't have to deal with the giant snake-like beast. "Sure thing." he grabbed the keys and headed towards the building.

* * *

Valon stared at the scene happening before her, eyes wide in shock. A huge, bird-like monster slowly crawled out of the cracked earth, a horrifying shriek escaping it's throat. The black feathers were coated in mud and dirt, but it didn't seem to mind. Its huge, red beak spread open wide when it released another bone-chilling sound, glowing green eyes locked on the Lieutenant.

She didn't hesitate for a second. The grasp she held on the hilt of her sword tightened as she charged at the bird before it could take off and gain an advantage. It didn't seem impressed however, as it flapped its wings dangerously, the strong gusts the movement created almost lifting the Lieutenant from the ground. It threw its head in its neck, beak raised skywards, clearly ready to cast a spell.

Valon sped up to her limits, she had to kill it before it could cast it's magic. She had no idea how strong its spell would be and she wasn't planning on finding out. With a roar she tried to slash its throat, jumping forward to be able to reach it. The sword connected and the horrible sound of blood all but streaming out of its arteries filled her ears. The beast screamed, a terrible, gurgling sound, but didn't drop dead. Instead, it raised its head even farther, trying to continue its casting, seemingly ignoring its slashed throat.

Valon prepared herself for the worst. The bird screamed again and black clouds filled the sky. The Lieutenant yelled at the executive to get down and braced herself for the impact.

* * *

AN: Whelp, this one was OC centric. Sorry about that! We'll see more of our favourite characters next chapter!


	3. III: Monochrome

AN: Warning: Some minor pseudo-science. :(

* * *

 **III: Monochrome**

 _Professor Hojo was a peculiar man. As the head of the Shinra Science Research Division, his mind was occupied solely by research and experiments. To the scientist, all people were simply specimen, experiments waiting to happen, test subjects he couldn't wait to get his hands on. His genius was undeniable, and so was his madness._

 _The professor was the main mastermind behind the SOLDIER project. Thanks to him, the Shinra Electric Power Company had it's own army of enhanced human beings. Men that were stronger and more clever and better than all other humans alive. But there was one man, stronger, more clever and better than all of the other enhanced specimen._

 _Sephiroth._

 _The General was Hojo's greatest creation. Sephiroth was the strongest warrior to ever live and had one of the most brilliant strategic minds the Planet had ever been graced with. His mere presence was a force more powerful than any storm or earthquake or tsunami and professor Hojo prided himself every single day that Sephiroth was the man he was thanks to his experiments. From the day Sephiroth was born, Hojo knew his son would be the closest being to a God to ever set foot on the Planet. Not that professor Hojo believed in the Gods, but his child was the closest to it, either way._

 _But as a scientist, professor Hojo also knew that there were no limits. The Silver General might have been the greatest thing he had created until this day, but that didn't mean that the man would be his masterpiece for the rest of the professor's life. The Planet had too many secrets to discover, too many puzzles to pick apart and analyze and decipher, and it was his job as a scientist to do just that._

 _His current pet project lay with the girl who had only recently sneaked her way into the SOLDIER cadet program. Women weren't allowed to join the program, as their bodies rejected the Mako treatments each SOLDIER had to go through. Professor Hojo suspected this was because of their chromosomes, or hormones, but that was another puzzle he'd set his mind on to solving. Later. This particular enigma didn't have priority to the scientist. The only woman he'd ever been interested in was the one who had birthed his son, and even that engrossment was simply scientific. Hojo couldn't care less about the female sex. Even though he was curious as to why the female body reacted so strongly to his treatments, it would remain a question for another time._

 _That was indeed the case, until during a routine Mako testing on the new cadets, one of them had crumpled to the ground, screaming and kicking and crying and bleeding. The professor, who usually didn't get involved with such trivial routine tests, had been rushed to the site to find the cadet in question being pinned to the ground by three SOLDIER Thirds, and even they were struggling to keep the child down. Hojo had seen many repugnant things in his lifetime, hell, he inflicted most of those gruesome things on his specimen personally, but never had he seen a child's eyes bleed or hear each pore in their skin scream from a minimal amount of Mako._

 _What had flabbergasted the head of the Science Department the most, though, was the way the cadet had mutated. Ordinarily, mutation from Mako treatments meant the specimen growing a new appendage, their skin growing a thick layer of fur, turning into scales or other horrifying growths and changes. This cadet was mutating all right, but there were no claws or tails or scales or wings. Instead, their right eye was slowly turning red. A ghostly, bloody crimson, as if the blood pooling out of the child's sockets was getting absorbed into the iris, leaving not a trace of the azure it used to be, and when there was no sight of blue left in the poor thing's eye, the characteristic Mako glow started showing, one blue and one red, and the child stopped kicking and screaming and crying almost instantaneously. Instead, eyelids fluttered shut and body went limp, the only movement was the slow rising and falling of the cadet's chest, indicating that somehow the child was still alive._

 _The SOLDIERs that were restraining the lithe body slowly backed away and professor Hojo shuffled forward, inching closer to the unconscious cadet. He seated himself on his knees next to the limp body and observed the child's features calmly, analyzing every inch of skin and cloth. Then, he discovered the child was a female. Her hair cut short, breasts presumably in a binder and any other evidence of her being a female obscured by the loose clothes the cadets wore. She looked just like a boy in his young teens, face simply not matured yet. Slowly Hojo rose, grabbing the syringe one of his assistants had used on the cadet and looked at the green substance in the glass. They had barely even injected the girl, not even the regular amount they'd give to the new cadets, but yet her eyes had glowed like a SOLDIER First, like his own son. Normally it'd take months of regular injections for a subject's eyes to start glowing._

 _That wasn't necessarily what had piqued his interest, although curious indeed. It was the way the mutation had taken shape that had given the professor a rush of excitement. He seated himself next to the girl again and stabbed her still limp arm with the needle, quickly injecting the girl with the rest of the green substance. His assistants had screamed, the cadets stood frozen to the ground and the few SOLDIERs present had quickly shoved Hojo off of the girl, trying to restrain him, but they were too late. All they could do was stand and watch as the cadet started screaming and crying and begging and bleeding again, all the while Hojo was cackling in twisted humour as the right half of her raven hair slowly turned white._

* * *

You never call a SOLDIER when they are on a mission: this was an unspoken rule between the Firsts. Sometimes one can find themselves in a situation where the ringing of a PHS would ruin their focus or stealth and that could result in death. Even on simple missions unexpected things could happen, so nobody dared to call those away from home. Instead, one would wait patiently for their own PHS to ring and, if it did, fiercely hope the name displayed on the small, blue screen would be the one you wished it to be.

It was a frustrating rule. Important, yes, but utmost infuriating when one's patience was nearly drained. Such was the case with the Silver General and his Commanders. The three men sat silently in Sephiroth's office, desk still filled with stacks of paperwork. The only sounds in the room were their soft, controlled breathing, Genesis flipping a page of his book and the ticking of the clock. The trio had expected the Lieutenant to be home early in the morning, but as time ticked away and the ceremony was coming closer and closer, the men grew restless.

"Even if the morrow is barren of promises," Genesis started the other men, shaking them out of their thoughts. "Nothing shall forestall my return."

"Loveless, act three." Sephiroth said out of habit. His voice low and soft, the deep tremble in his voice even more apparent. Genesis just nodded, eyes back to his book, and flipped another page. Again, silence filled the room. Angeal started humming a tune, slow and calming. Involuntarily Sephiroth felt himself relax a little. His black-haired friend had the peculiar talent to calm nerves and make people feel comfortable, no matter how dire the situation. An admirable trait, indeed.

The General knew they were worrying too much, Valon was perfectly capable of handling herself. She was the Lieutenant of the Shinra army, after all. The only reason they were feeling uneasy was because she would always let at least one of them know when she'd be home later. The fact that she hadn't called any of them yet only meant she was otherwise occupied and, generally, that couldn't be good news.

Genesis closed his book and sat up, looking around the room in a bored fashion. "She's not going to make it, you know." he stated, looking sharply at the silver-haired man sitting beside him. Angeal solemnly nodded in agreement. The General rose from his seat and shook his head tensely, silver hair falling over his shoulder messily.

"Time to go, then."

* * *

Valon hissed in pain as she shook her limbs, trying to regain control over her spasming body. The lightning the beast had cast wasn't as strong as she thought it'd be, most likely because she had weakened it significantly by slashing its throat, but it still hurt. A lot. She tried to grasp her sword, but the control over her body was weak. "Damn paralysis," she grumbled, trying to reach in her pouch, looking for a Remedy. Her eyes still locked on the bird, but it showed no signs of hostility anymore. Instead, it slowly slumped to the ground, the blood loss finally getting the better of it. After a few more ragged, gurgling breaths, it closed its eyes and lay still.

"Finally." she groaned. The beast took forever to lay down and die. At last she dared look away from the bird and instead turned her focus on Scarlet, who was still crouching next to their broken down car. "Are you okay?" Valon asked, still inspecting the blonde executive. She didn't appear to be struck by the lightning or harmed otherwise, only scared to death.

Scarlet slowly rose, still looking at the huge bird. "Yeah." she said, no longer the energy nor resolve to keep up their game of animosity.

"Good." the Lieutenant sighed, sounding more relieved than she'd liked. "Give me a hand, please." she ordered, albeit politely, and Scarlet, one eye still on the monster that had attacked them, made her way over to the black- and white haired woman.

"There's a Remedy in my pouch." she said, cocking her right hip upwards so Scarlet had better access to the small leather bag strapped to her thigh. "My fingers," she started to explain, but another spasm both interrupted her and made her point clear. Scarlet rummaged in the bag a bit and grabbed a small, brown flask. "This?"

"Yeah," Valon nodded and held out her shaking hand. Scarlet carefully gave her the Remedy and watched uncomfortably as the other woman put the flask to her lips. In other circumstances, this situation would've been hilarious to the red-clad executive. The women despised each other, and seeing the great Monochrome Lieutenant tremble and squirm as the paralysis took control over her body would've been worth the world.

Not today though, she would let this one slide. The woman was in this state solely because she'd been protecting Scarlet, after all. Despite her hate towards the other female, she could respect at least that fact and was grateful for it.

Valon inhaled sharply at the vile, bitter taste of the Remedy, face twisted in disgust. She coughed, shook her head and sighed audibly, but the sound of a helicopter drowned out the sigh. Both women perked up enthusiastically and scanned the sky. The Lieutenant spotted it first and pointed at it with a large grin. The helicopter landed about a quarter of a mile away from them and a Turk stepped out, dark brown hair and a hint of a beard adorning his sharp jawline. The standard blue suit was worn messily and the red tie was draped over his shoulders.

"Devon! Thank Gaia!" Valon yelled happily. She lay back in the mossy earth and sighed of relief. Scarlet took a few steps towards the Turk, all friendliness between the women disappearing instantaneously, all chances of peace, or at least a cease-fire, blown away by the gusts of wind created by the rotating blades of the machine that'd take them home.

* * *

AN: Whelp, I promised more of our favourite characters and instead I give you a ton of Hojo. I'm a terrible person. Also, I promised one chapter a week and gave you two a day (I'm on a roll!), so maybe that makes up for some of the Hojo. Thanks again for reading and stay tuned for the next chapter :)


	4. IV: A Petty Hero

**IV: A Petty Hero**

 _Devon cupped his friend's face in his hands and inspected her from head to toe. "You're a fool, girl." he whispered. Valon looked like she was about to cry, her lower lip pushed outwards slightly and her eyes were narrowed. The Turk looked at her eyes, back and forth between red and blue and shook his head. "You could've died, you know."_

 _Valon didn't look back at him, eyes evading his gaze. "I promised I wouldn't."_

" _So?"_

" _I kept that promise, didn't I?"_

 _Devon rolled his eyes, his right eyebrow twitching in frustration. "Hey, look at me." he commanded, but his voice was low and hushed and dripping with worry. He smiled when his friend obeyed, teary eyes looking at him. "How do you feel?"_

" _It hurts." she whispered. "But I'm lucky, I think."_

" _How so?"_

" _The professor said I mutated," she explained, still speaking softly. Her voice was hoarse and raw, presumably from the screaming. "but normally mutations are really bad, right?"_

 _Devon nodded affirmatively._

" _Well, I only turned into a half albino." she played with a short lock of white hair. "I think it looks kind of cool." she giggled through her tears._

 _The Turk finally released her face and sat down on the bed next to her. Immediately she threw her legs on his lap, a gesture they'd done for as long as them both could remember. It was a friendly kind of intimacy, purely platonic, but felt good nonetheless. He felt himself relax a bit at the familiar contact._

" _You know, I feel guilty now." he sighed. "I should have never agreed to help you."_

 _Valon shook her head vigorously. "Don't feel guilty!" her voice was raised slightly, taking the Turk by surprise. "The professor said I show a lot of promise. He said I respond extremely well to the Mako, with proper training and guidance he thinks I'll be a First within a year!" her eyes gleamed with enthusiasm and Devon almost felt bad for not sharing the feeling._

" _He calls mutating and bleeding from your Gaia-damned eyeballs a good response to the stuff? Shiva's tits, Valon."_

" _He doesn't think it'll happen again." once more, Valon waved away his reasoning with a dismissive flick of her hand. She really needed to stop doing that. "In fact, he wants me to meet the General!"_

" _You're going to meet Sephiroth?"_

 _Valon hummed in an affirmative tone. Devon snorted. "Well, I'll be damned."_

* * *

His name was Zachary Fair. Remember it well, for this is how he met his death.

A simple boy with simple pleasures, Fair was. He loved how the warm rays of the sun caressed his skin as much as he adored the soft drops of rain that soothed his muscles and cherished the earth below as much as he revered the stars above. Optimistic, headstrong and perhaps a little foolish, but a kind soul nonetheless.

Born and raised in the small, somewhat backwater town of Gongaga, he lived through a simple but enjoyable childhood. The boy always had bigger dreams however, and combining that with a head harder than a rock, the youth had left his beloved hometown at the nimble age of thirteen to join the Shinra military forces. _One day_ , he'd sworn himself a silent oath, he would return a hero.

Needless to say, it was an oath easier sworn than carried out.

The first step he had to take was to become a SOLDIER. It was much easier to become a hero when one's abilities were enhanced beyond normal human possibilities, after all.

Again, easier said than done.

The boy was restless, he always was. Albeit his positive attitude and energetic personality, his attention span was disappointingly low. His professors and trainers had no hopes for the raven-haired youth, but he had all but surprised them, and admittedly, himself, when he'd been at the top of his class at every subject. Besides headstrong and somewhat foolish, the boy was inconceivably intelligent when he willed himself to be. And not only was Zachary intelligent, his talent with the sword was undeniable.

So much, in fact, he'd caught the eye of none other than Commander Angeal Hewley, a man as much of a legend as the infamous Silver General himself. The Commander had adopted the young cadet as if he were a pet, and with the extra training, Zachary had all but jumped ranks and was now a SOLDIER Second, no longer living in the shadow of his black-haired friend, but standing tall beside the man, not only as his friend, but as his lover, too.

A simple man with simple pleasures, Zack was. One of these simple pleasures was sleeping. More specifically, sleeping in. Much to Angeal's annoyance. The Commander had once said it wasn't very befitting of a hero to be lazy, so Zack tried to work on this flaw of his. However, he couldn't always help it, and sometimes his laziness still got the best of him.

The morning of the welcome ceremony, for example.

The boy all but jumped out of his bed, screaming in terror as he saw the numbers on his alarm glaring at him viciously, the green glow reminding him of the General's eyes. Not a pleasant mental image to wake up to. He rushed to his closet, threw on his uniform and swiftly made his way to the door that would lead him to the hallways, knocking over multiple pieces of furniture in the process. He stopped with a jerking motion when he saw himself in the reflection of the window, almost losing his balance on the slippery floor and cursing loudly at himself for forgetting his boots. He cursed again as he tried to tame the wild mop of black hair that seemingly lead it's own life, running his fingers through the spikes and uttered some more profanities when the locks jumped back to their previous position as soon as his fingers left them.

 _No time to look pretty_ , he thought, sagging his shoulders in defeat slightly. After a moment of glaring at his own reflection in the window, not quite as cold as Sephiroth could but terrifying nonetheless, he shook his head and made his way back to his bedroom to grab his boots. _I really should be leaving those at the door_ , he berated himself.

He slipped his feet in the leather combat boots, not bothering to tie them, and ran to the door again. As fast as his legs could carry him, he ran through hallway after hallway, knocking people aside as he did. Ignoring the angry shouts and startled gasps, he rushed to the stairs and all but flew down all forty-nine floors, skipping multiple steps at a time. Blessing his long legs, he turned the last corner to make it to his destination; the huge assembly hall in the exact center of the SOLDIER premises.

He whooped loudly when he reached the back door, twisted the knob and slammed the door open with too much force in his enthusiasm for making it to the ceremony only slightly late.

A low _"oof"_ made him halt abruptly. All of his instincts were screaming at him to run away and _do it fast_ when he recognized the voice.

"He-" he gulped. "Hey, Seph."

The General's eyebrow twitched ever so slightly, hardly noticeable, but to those that knew him well, it meant irritation. Or blood lust. Possibly both. Although Zack doubted the silver-haired man could actually feel pain, his long, slender fingers rubbed his nose in a soothing motion.

He just hit General Sephiroth in the face. With a door. Because he was late.

The Second felt panic rise through his very being. Sweat broke on his forehead when the legendary man's fingers twitched around the hilt of his equally legendary blade. He swallowed hard, his breaths ragged and his survival instincts telling him once again to _run away you fucking fool._

Suddenly, Sephiroth jerked his hand away from his nose, turned around and walked up to the podium where President Shinra had been speeching about how fabulous his company was. Zack hadn't even noticed the fat man had called for the General to come up and speak a word of encouragement to the new recruits.

Only when Sephiroth was already halfway through his speech had Zack realized how close he had been to becoming a Zack-kebab. He ruffled his unruly hair and exhaled a shuddery breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

"Oh, Gaia."

His name, Zack. Remember it well, for this is how he evaded his untimely death.

* * *

AN: It's a little on the short side, but good news is we're pretty much done with introducing the characters! _Finally_ we can get to the plot. I always hate writing those first few chapters, I just want to get to the actual story, you know?


	5. V: Thunderbird

**V: Thunderbird**

"You look like shit, girl." Devon frowned as he walked up to the two women, one of them covered in blood and twitching her limbs ever so slightly.

"It's not my blood." the Monochrome Lieutenant replied dryly.

"You'd be dead if that were the case."

"Can't kill me that easily."

The Turk laughed as he halted only a few feet away from his friend. Normally, they hugged each other in greeting, but doing so would result in his suit getting covered in coppery red stains, and since Devon hated doing laundry with burning passion like ten thousand red hot suns, he decided against the familiar greeting. Instead, he simply nodded and smiled in acknowledgment, disregarding protocol completely. He _should_ be saluting the woman, her being the Lieutenant of SOLDIER and the Second-in-Command of the great General Sephiroth and all, but to hell with protocol.

"What happened?" he asked, eying the large corpse behind the still somewhat spasming Lieutenant. The big mass of black feathers was disappearing in small green wisps of the Lifestream in an agonizingly slow way. He raised his eyebrow slightly in surprise when he recognized the monster, although this one was way larger than the ones he had encountered in the past. He was about to speak his mind, but was then reminded of the red-clad executive tapping her foot impatiently behind his back. The Monochrome Lieutenant and he had to discuss this in private, or all hell might break loose. If his assumptions were correct, there was no telling of the chaos that would ensue if Scarlet got wind of it. He was mused out of his thoughts when Valon answered his question.

"Our car broke down here, I think it was foul play." she started, her hands ruffling her black and white hair in thought, smearing even more blood through her locks, the last few visible white strands now completely covered in red. "Only moments after, that beast attacked us. I took it down rather quickly, but had I not weakened it when I did, we would've been blasted to pieces by it's thunder."

Again, Devon raised his eyebrow. Those birds weren't supposed to be strong enough to give the SOLDIER First any trouble. He decided that his thoughts couldn't wait until they were safe back home and, more importantly, in a private location. It seemed the situation was more dire than he'd anticipated.

" _Yc cuuh yc fa kad ehdu dra ramelubdan, fa'mm ryja du teclicc drec_." he whispered so Scarlet wouldn't hear. _As soon as we get into the helicopter, we'll have to discuss this._ He spoke in a language most believed to be long dead. The race it had belonged to was indeed, but the tongue was still used only by high ranking Turks and few of their closest allies. It was a perfect way to communicate their secrets in the open when unable to do so in private. He'd taught Valon the language around when she had been promoted to SOLDIER Third. Although their intentions were of simple and childish nature, to gossip and discuss various perverted things in public, it had proven itself very useful for more serious situations as well.

Valon gave him a thoughtful look, hard lines forming around her eyes and mouth. Then, she nodded in agreement and turned her attention to the Head of Weapons Department, who had taken to pacing around once more. How her stiletto's didn't get stuck in the mossy ground would forever remain a mystery to Valon.

"Let's go." the Lieutenant ordered. Scarlet huffed in an insulted manner, but decided not to argue. Instead, she turned on her high heels and nearly ran to the helicopter, only her pride preventing her from actually bolting towards the machine. Valon grinned at the poorly masked fear of the executive and slowly made her way to the helicopter as well, Devon walking at her side.

* * *

Sephiroth felt relaxed. He leaned back in his large, comfortable desk chair and closed his eyes, sighing calmly. The ceremony was over, Valon would come home unscathed, Angeal's puppy would get what was coming for him soon and they'd all be one big, happy family once more. The General snorted amusedly when he repeated the mantra for what felt like the thousandth time this morning. _One big, happy family? Right._

Green eyes opened again and slowly scanned his desk. The amount of paperwork was vastly reducing, much to his relief. The last few stacks of paper could wait, he decided. It had been a while since he'd taken the time to train. He nodded to himself and rose from his chair. He stalked to the door and calmly made his way to the elevator, not even bothering to acknowledge the few saluting people he encountered in the hall. It was truly a blessing, his office being on the sixty-sixth floor. Only officials and a few Firsts had authorization to venture that high up in the building. Being the solitary man he was, the less people around him, the better.

He pressed the button on the wall, calling the elevator up and patiently waited for the doors to open. He entered the elevator and was about to press the button to the forty-ninth floor where the Training Room was located, but decided against it. Instead, he pressed the lowest button on the right which would take him to the main entrance of the headquarters. It had been a lovely day, after all, and training in the warmth of the early summer sun would do him good. He'd been locked up inside for far too long.

He stepped out of the elevator when he reached his destination and picked up his pace when he noticed the vast amount of people scattered about the entrance hall. His mood was too good to deal with these people, he thought, so he once again he ignored all their salutes, surprised gasps and shouts of praise as he made his way to the large front doors. Swiftly, he stalked across the Shinra premises to the large training area, where three familiar people were smiling and waving at him. Well, only one was smiling and waving. The shortest one of them hid behind the broad back of his mentor, staring at Sephiroth in wide-eyed shock, and the redhead was too invested in his book to even notice the Silver General approaching.

"At ease," Sephiroth said when Angeal saluted and nudged Zack with his elbow, snapping the boy out of his fearful trance and mimicking the larger man's pose.

A big, strong hand made its way to his left shoulder, grasping it in a friendly manner.

"You seem relaxed." Angeal stated while clapping the slightly shorter man on his shoulder, a bright smile gracing his features. Sephiroth nodded in agreement.

"Uhm," a small voice came from behind the Commander. Sephiroth turned his gaze to the boy they'd nicknamed 'the Puppy'.

"I'm sorry for hitting you in the face with a door!" Zack all but screamed. He folded his hands before him in a pleading way and dipped his head in sincere apology. "Please don't turn me into a Zack-kebab!"

Sephiroth stared at the raven-haired youth in a slightly amused way and even he couldn't help himself when Angeal burst out laughing.

"Such a puppy." he said, shaking his head.

* * *

" _Fryd tet oui fyhd du teclicc?_ " Valon asked once all three of them were seated in the helicopter. _What did you want to discuss?_

" _That bird."_ Devon answered the woman sitting next to him in the same language. The two of them were seated in the front of the machine with him operating it. Scarlet sat behind them with her arms crossed in irritation.

"What in the world are you two rambling about?" she screamed, but the Turk and SOLDIER completely ignored her, much to her dismay.

" _Do you know what it was?_ " the Lieutenant asked. " _I have never seen anything quite like it before._ "

" _That's because it isn't from this continent. It's called a Thunderbird."_ Devon explained. _"I've seen them a few times before, but none of them as large as the one you fought."_

A white eyebrow rose in confusion. Surely she'd heard the name of the bird before, but she couldn't quite place it.

" _The ones I encountered were pretty weak, too. Their lightning wasn't more than an annoying buzz at most."_

" _This one's magic was a pain in my ass. I'm still spasming."_ Valon snorted, clearly annoyed. _"Anyways, why do we have to be so secretive about this?"_

" _Because of where it's from."_ A pair of heterochromic eyes widened slightly in realization.

" _You can't possibly mean-"_

The Turk interrupted her, his voice lower and more serious than it had been in ages.

" _Wutai."_

* * *

AN: Thanks for the reviews guys! I had some free time this weekend so I decided to push out another chapter :). There's finally some plot going on, huzzah!

Also, I'm working on a drawing of Valon at the moment. It's not quite done yet, but once it is I'll be sure to share a link with y'all.

Lastly, a special thanks to Savage Kill for the review and the enthusiasm! I had planned on working on this chapter tomorrow, but after you messaged me I felt encouraged to get off of my lazy ass and get to writing. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter :)

On that note, thank you for reading and keep an eye out for the next chapter!


	6. VI: Home

AN: Warning, some more pseudo-science in this chapter! Enjoy :)

* * *

 **VI: Home**

 _Valon sat on one of Professor Hojo's many examination tables, the metal hard and cold underneath her bottom. Her feet were swaying back and forth impatiently, her short stature making it impossible for her to reach the floor while sitting on the table, not even when extending her leg as far as she could. It was quite pathetic, she thought, for a SOLDIER Second to only barely reach an unimpressive five feet and two inches. For a woman, she wasn't even_ that _short, but when surrounded by the giants that were SOLDIERs, she felt like a midget._

" _One of the many flaws of mortality is impatience." Hojo stated, although he didn't look up from the many documents spread out before him._

 _Valon immediately stopped kicking her feet back and forth. Though when she didn't reply, the greasy professor stood and looked at her with a stern expression. Valon felt her breath hitch in her throat. Something about that man always managed to unsettle her, although she never truly understood why. However now she realized he didn't just make a statement in annoyance, no, he wanted her to elaborate. A test._

" _If mankind were to be immortal," she started slowly, her brows narrowed in thought. "Impatience wouldn't exist. We'd have all the time in the world to do anything we'd please if that were the case. However, a man's only true fate is death, and so we wish to do too many things at once."_

" _Resulting in impatience. Correct." Hojo huffed in amusement. "Did you know I might just be the most impatient man to walk the Planet?"_

 _"Forgive me my bluntness, sir, but that doesn't surprise me in the slightest." Valon rose a raven eyebrow, knowing full well she stepped out of line. But she didn't really care too much, truth be told. She was getting tired of Hojo's stupid tests. He'd always say something about mortality being flawed and expect her to analyze his statement and illustrate her thoughts. Not only was it tiresome, it was depressing, too._

 _Professor Hojo only snorted amusedly before returning to his work, leaving the female SOLDIER to her thoughts once more. She wondered why he had called her to the laboratories this early in the morning. It couldn't be her routinely Mako injections, she'd had those only a few days before. He wouldn't have called her up to his labs only to test her patience, the professor was way too busy a man for such trivial things. Valon considered simply asking the professor why, but for reasons even she didn't know, she decided against it._

 _Her questions would soon be answered however, as professor Hojo cleared his throat, folded his documents and put them away in his drawer, locking it and putting the keys away in the deep pockets of his long, white coat. He rose once again and turned to face Valon._

" _As a scientist, it is one of my many duties to create." he simply said, glaring over his thick glasses._

" _To create, sir?" the female SOLDIER gawked at him curiously._

" _Take SOLDIER, for example. I took the basics of human existence and enhanced it, thus creating a better kind of being."_

 _The professor adjusted his glasses and turned, slowly making his way to the door with that hunched walk of his. Valon got off of the examination table and followed the scientist, her interest piqued._

" _Where are we going, sir?"_

" _You'll see, child." he huffed as he opened the heavy door. Valon was waiting for him to continue his tale about scientific creation, but as the professor continued to walk without speaking another word, she disappointedly sagged her shoulders. Despite the creepy head of the department, she had to admit to being quite interested in science. If she wouldn't have made it into SOLDIER, she probably would have chosen to join the science department instead._

 _Professor Hojo abruptly halted in front of a large door, knocked on the wood with a thin, crooked finger and entered the room without waiting for permission to enter. Valon had never been on this floor before, let alone seen this room, so curiously she followed the professor inside, only to come to a sudden stop when she saw the two other men present in the giant conference room. She snapped to a perfect salute and kept her face stoic, perfectly masking the anxiousness that was suddenly threatening to suffocate her._

" _General, sir." she acknowledged to the tall, silver-haired man. She'd seen him around the premises once or twice before and couldn't help but feel awed and humbled in front of the legendary man._

 _Before the General could speak, she turned her gaze to the fat man on the other side of the room. His luxurious, red suit a stark contrast to her dark, itchy Second class uniform. "Mister president, sir."_

" _At ease." the President of the Shinra corporation spoke, waving a hand with short, stumpy fingers in dismissal. Valon dropped her hands to her sides, still standing in a perfect formal stance. Her instructors would be proud, she thought. They always did like to complain about her posture._

" _Professor." the Silver General greeted the scientist with an indifferent nod._

" _Sephiroth." Hojo grinned._

" _Now, Hojo, won't you introduce us?" President Shinra grinned, eying the female SOLDIER standing behind the professor. He'd heard of the girl, of course he had. She was a true enigma, the first woman to ever make it into the SOLDIER program. Not only that, but she'd been so good she all but flew through the ranks, reaching Second within the year. However, he'd never actually met the girl in person._

 _Apparently she wasn't only a very talented fighting machine, she was also a sight for sore eyes._

 _Once Hojo was done introducing Valon to the President and General, they all seated themselves at the large, mahogany table. "I'll get to the point quickly, I'm sure we're all too busy for small-talk." the professor started, eyes darting back and forth between Sephiroth and President Shinra. "I have a proposition to make."_

 _This appeared to peak the General's interest, the man had previously looked more bored than a grounded child, but now his emerald eyes were focused on the professor curiously._

" _As we all might know, SOLDIERS normally aren't able to breed, their strength too great for the general female body to handle." a wicked smile showed on the professor's face, and both Sephiroth and Valon looked at each other in shock._

" _For the good of science," Hojo continued, "I wish for General Sephiroth and Second-class Valon Harper to breed. The resulting child could very well be the greatest creation to have graced the Planet!" he threw his hands up and cackled loudly. Valon stared at him wide-eyed. Slowly, the meaning of the professor's proposition started to dawn on her. He wanted her to have sex with General Sephiroth. Not once, but enough times to actually get her pregnant. There was only one possible response she could give._

" _Not in a million fucking years."_

* * *

The General and his friends were enjoying the companionable silence, the only sounds coming from Genesis turning a page of his book, Angeal and Zack their swords clashing, and the occasional grunt when one of the two black-haired men hit the other with slightly too much force. Sephiroth had planned on training himself, but sitting in the grass and watching the Commander and his puppy train was a lot more relaxing. He deserved some peace of mind, he thought.

Their calm was interrupted, however, when a SOLDIER Second came running. Sephiroth recognized him as one of Zack's friends. Kunsel, was that the boys name?

"General, Commanders, sirs!" the boy saluted messily.

"At ease, Kunsel." Angeal said while putting his absolutely massive sword away to his back. Sephiroth almost smiled pridefully. See, he wasn't _that_ anti-social. Social enough to remember the helmeted SOLDIER's name, at least.

"Sirs, the Lieutenant is back!" Kunsel grinned under his helmet. With a quick nod, he turned and ran back to the building, only to abruptly come to a halt at the sight of something the General and his companions couldn't quite see yet, and when they heard an unfamiliar voice yell in surprise, the men quickly rose to their feet and hurried their way to where Kunsel stood.

Zack let out a very unmanly yelp when he saw what had startled his friend. "Valon!" he screamed loudly, almost deafening everyone around him in the process. Then, Zack bolted towards the approaching Lieutenant, arms open wide to hug her tightly the second he was close enough. Only then, he noticed the woman was completely covered in nearly dry, copper-coloured blood. He skidded to a stop, only to trip in an awfully ungraceful manner on his still untied shoelaces. With a harsh thump and a loud oof, he fell face-first in the grass.

Valon chuckled, walked up to the boy who was rubbing his face in pain and knelt beside him. "Hey, puppy." she greeted, petting his hair gently. After helping him up and hugging him tightly, rubbing off some dried blood in the process, she turned her attention to the General and the two Commanders. She saluted to Sephiroth, who simply nodded. Then, she walked up to Angeal, who already held his arms up slightly to welcome her into a warm and friendly embrace. She eagerly accepted the invitation and sighed tiredly in her friend's neck as he held her. After a few seconds, he loosened his grip on the short but muscular woman and eyed her from head to toe. Before he could ask any questions however, she turned away from him and walked up to Genesis, who had stayed silent behind his friends their backs. They shook each other's hands firmly and nodded in mutual respect. Only then did she turn her attention to Sephiroth.

"We need to talk."

* * *

AN: Roll credits! (lame reference, sorrynotsorry)

Anyways, yeah, Valon is crazy short! To compare: Sephiroth is about 6 feet and 1 inch (about 185cm). Valon barely reaches 5 feet and 2 inches, which is about 157cm.

And wow, 2 chapters in one weekend. I'm on a roll! I really enjoy writing this fic, it's been a while since I've written fanfiction and I never realized how much I missed writing it. Heh.

Also, Hojo has some nasty thoughts. Who knew the professor had his kinks, hmm? 'For science,' my _ass_ , you nasty old man.


	7. VII: An Omen of War

**VII: An Omen of War**

Valon hummed happily as the stream of warm water hit her body. All the grime and sweat and blood and oh Gaia was she covered in a lot of the red, crusty substance, was slowly pouring down the drain as she scrubbed her sore skin. She sat down in the tub and let the shower take care of her stiff shoulders. She lolled her head back in the cascading warmth and finally felt herself relax. Who knew a shower could feel this liberating.

On the other side of the shower curtain, three men were waiting patiently. Angeal was seated on the closed toilet, his elbows pressing in his thighs as his hands were supporting his chin. Such slouching posture was unfitting for the raven haired Commander, but it showed the anxiousness he wasn't quite able to mask. Genesis had taken a spot on the floor, his back leaning lazily against the wall. To any stranger, he'd look calm and relaxed, but the fact that he wasn't reading his book or how is eyes were narrowed slightly in thought made it clear to those who knew him that he was all but.

Sephiroth stood against the door, his arms crossed and eyes focused on the shower curtain. He felt uneasy. He knew Valon well, she wouldn't have rushed them up to his private chambers and made them take a seat in the bathroom while she showered for trivial things. It was important, that much he knew, but her continued silence was working on his nerves. He sighed and straightened himself.

"Valon." he urged her, his voice even heavier and more authoritative due to the acoustics of the spacious bathroom. Behind the curtain, the woman sighed.

"How are the negotiations in Wutai going?" she asked. Sephiroth raised his eyebrows, somewhat taken aback by the seemingly irrelevant question.

"Poorly."

Valon cursed softly. After a short but uncomfortable silence, she cleared her throat and explained what had happened. She told the men about the car, the large black beast and it's amazing power. She told them what Devon had told her: Thunderbirds are native to Wutai.

When she was done explaining, she turned off the shower and held her hand over the curtain.

"Could someone hand me a towel please?"

"Do you think this attack was aimed specifically at you or Scarlet?" Angeal asked as he handed her a towel.

Valon thanked him and secured the white towel tightly around her body before opening the curtain. She pursed her lips. "Probably, but I think it wasn't meant as an assassination. I think it was a test."

"A test?" Genesis asked, straightening himself.

"Hmm." Valon hummed affirmatively. "We all know the Wutaians won't go down without a fight, and truth be told, I personally think they're eager for war."

"So, somehow, they turned their local monsters into war machines and let them loose to _test_ their power to prepare themselves for a war with Shinra?" the red-haired Commander snorted, unsure if he believed the theory.

Sephiroth, who had been silent through the entire conversation, suddenly took a few long strides toward Valon, his steps so light they were soundless, and placed his hand on her head.

"We'll have to report this to the President. And to Heidegger as well." he said, ruffling her wet hair. "But for now, rest. You're excused from your tasks today."

Then, he turned and walked out of the bathroom, leaving the Lieutenant and the Commanders with their thoughts.

* * *

Zack walked aimlessly through the hallways, his hands folded behind his neck lazily. He hated it when he wasn't allowed to attend Angeal's meetings. Especially when those meetings involved his other friends. He desperately wanted to know what had ruffled Valon's feathers this much, he barely ever saw the woman this serious.

"Oh man, what a bother." he sighed as he turned, making his way to the elevator. He figured he'd go and check out the new cadets. Angeal always took the time to get to know the recruits and try and find those with potential. It didn't have any true purpose, other than to satisfy his mentor's curiosity. Zack figured he'd try and do the same, if nothing else, it'd kill some time while his friends were having their meeting.

The cadets should be in the training hall at this hour, probably being tortured by one of their instructors. Zack mused, grimacing at the memories of all the push-ups he had had to do for punishment. He never was good at sitting still, much to his instructors' annoyance.

He arrived at the training hall with a still sour expression at his memories as cadet, but as soon as he entered the large room his face brightened to his trademark grin. Looking at all the boys heaving and panting from the rough training was hilarious, after all. He looked around the room, trying to remember all the faces and guessing their potential, when his eyes locked with the instructor. Sergeant Isaac Byrne, he recalled. He had no fond memories of the man. Not a single one.

"Cadets!" Byrne bellowed. "At attention!"

All the cadets froze in their tracks, straightened themselves and turned to their instructor. Zack smiled, walked up to Byrne and put his hands back in his neck. Byrne saluted. "SOLDIER Second Fair!"

"At ease." Zack said. Normally he felt uncomfortable when people saluted him, it felt like something one would do exclusively for the General, his Lieutenant and his Commanders, but since he strongly disliked Byrne, he couldn't help but feel triumphant. Perhaps a little cocky, too. Oh how the tables have turned.

Byrne turned to the cadets, who were staring in awe at the SOLDIER Second, and took a deep breath. Zack instinctively flinched.

"This is your superior, SOLDIER Second Class, Zack Fair." Byrne roared, his booming voice echoing through the large room. "You girls show him how pretty y'all look in a salute!"

Immediately the Cadets snapped to a salute, most of them very messy and unprofessional, but Zack didn't quite care. He smiled brightly at the boys and nodded. "At ease." he repeated.

"To what do we owe the honour?" Byrne turned to him again.

"I came to see the new recruits. I'm curious about their potential."

"They're a bunch of sissies." Byrne bantered as he stared at the Cadets. "Aren't you?"

"Yes, sergeant, sir!" the boys howled in unison. Zack laughed loudly and took a few steps closer to the recruits. He stared them down one by one, not really knowing what he was looking for. It was as Angeal had explained to him. There's nothing you're specifically searching for when you're looking for potential. It's in their aura, he had said, or the strength in their gaze. When you see it, you'll just _know_.

One after another, he looked at their eyes, their posture, everything he could think of, but felt increasingly disappointed. None of these boys seemed special to Zack. That was, until his gaze landed on the most vibrant blue eyes he had ever seen. Not even the Monochrome Lieutenant's one azure eye, which was laced with the brilliant glow of Mako, was this captivating. He stalked to the youth and smiled when a short boy with the most unruly blond hair he'd ever seen was looking back at him with a mixture of anxiousness and excitement. Now, Zack knew what Angeal had meant. Something about this boy, indeed.

The youth reminded Zack of a chocobo. Fierce birds, they were.

"What's your name, cadet?"

"Strife, sir." the boy replied, his voice a soft and pleasant sound. "Cloud Strife."

* * *

AN: Oh my sweet lord guys, Final Fantasy VII remake is confirmed! I'm not going to lie, I cried happy tears and actually screamed at my screen in surprise and excitement. I thought it was somewhat fitting that this news came out while I was working on chapter VII (but I'm silly like that). I also wanted to introduce Cloud in the seventh chapter because, again, I'm silly like that.

I know that's not how Zack and Cloud met, but I'm completely ignoring canon for this because I really wanted to add Cloud to the story. If I recall correctly, Cloud only really became friends with Zack when the Wutai war was pretty much over and this story is before (and eventually, during) the war and I love Cloud too much to exclude him. So there we go.

Last thing I wanted to say is that I haven't yet finished the Valon painting I was doing. BUT I figured that maybe you guys would enjoy seeing it already, so here's the link:

goo **.** gl **(slash)** vKEr29

The right image is in her own outfit (it's mirrored because I forgot to flip it durr). And yes, she's wearing Sephiroth's jacket in the left one. I also totally love her abs.

Anyways that's it for the somewhat long author notes. Sorry about that! Had a lot to say, I guess haha.


	8. VIII: A Barrel of Wine

**VIII: A Barrel of Wine**

 _Valon sprawled out on Sephiroth's ridiculously spacious couch and hummed happily as she uncorked a bottle of wine. She wanted to pour herself a glass but soon discovered she didn't bring one from Sephiroth's ridiculously spacious kitchen. Not wanting to get up again, she shrugged and put the bottle to her lips. Just as she took a large swig of the red substance, the door of the apartment opened._

" _You look comfortable." the General stated as he walked in. He walked past Valon to mount his ridiculously large katana in the wooden rack on the wall, took off his jacket and folded it neatly before putting it on the table. Then, he sat down next to Valon and stared at her amusedly. With one hand she held the bottle of wine to her lips and with the other she saluted lazily, only her index- and middle finger loosely pressed to her temple._

" _You have good taste, sir." she said before she took another sip. Sephiroth snorted. He knew she liked his wine. She had drank almost all of it, after all._

" _How was training?" Valon asked when the General didn't respond, but he remained silent. She stared at him curiously for a little longer before she lost interest and focused her attention on the bottle once more. Only days after Hojo had made his ridiculous proposition, Valon was assigned to be Sephiroth's aide. Hojo probably thought they'd comply to his wishes once they'd gotten to know each other a bit better._

 _Typically, an aide moved in with their superior to make their work smoother and their communication better, and since it was an order from the President himself, Valon couldn't refuse. The General's apartment had become hers and so did most of his belongings. At least, everything inside his ridiculously spacious apartment did. Including all the wine._

 _Valon didn't complain. What could she say, the wine_ was _amazing._

 _However, getting to know the General proved itself to be harder than she thought it would be. He was a very serious man, and that's about all she knew after a few months of spending time with and working for him. Always buried in work, from sunrise to sundown, and when he wasn't working he was either in the training rooms or reading a book._

 _She didn't even really want to get to know Sephiroth at all that much, truth be told. She respected him greatly as a warrior and superior, and of course she looked up to him, but at a personal level the General was as interesting as a barrel. Not one filled with wine, no, those were very interesting if you asked Valon. No, the silver haired man was as interesting as an_ empty _wine barrel._

" _Valon." Sephiroth said, shaking her out of her thoughts. "I've been thinking about our little problem."_

 _The SOLDIER Second took another swig before turning to Sephiroth again, her white eyebrow raised curiously._

" _What if we agreed to-"_

" _No fucking way." Valon said angrily, but closed her lips firmly when Sephiroth glared at her in a stern manner._

" _Sorry." she apologized, her cheeks a little pink from embarrassment. She quickly took another large sip of her wine._

" _As I was saying," Sephiroth continued. "What if we agreed to_ breed _on our own conditions?"_

 _He had said the word 'breed' as if he was speaking of the most vulgar food he had ever tasted. He even scrunched up his nose in disgust a little, much to Valon's delight. At least he didn't agree, either._

" _What conditions?" she smiled, sensing an ever so small amount of rebellion in the silver-haired man. Who knew._

" _What if we have them believe you worship the Gods? That way, you'll have to stay a virgin until marriage, so we can't reproduce."_

 _Valon snorted. "Don't say it like that." she rolled her eyes. Why couldn't they just say the word sex like any normal person would? Then again, both the professor and Sephiroth weren't exactly normal people._

" _It could work, but I don't think Hojo will buy it." she continued._

" _Hojo won't," Sephiroth agreed. "but believe it or not, the President worships the Gods himself."_

 _Valon had just tried to take a sip of her wine when he made that statement. She spit out the red substance and coughed loudly. Sephiroth awkwardly patted her on the back a few times before she calmed and turned to stare at him in disbelief with slightly teary eyes._

" _You're trying to tell me that President Shinra of all people worships the Gods?"_

 _Sephiroth only nodded. Valon slouched back into the couch and sighed. It could work, she had to admit. Sephiroth was a busy man, and with the plans for the new Mako reactors he'd have even less spare time on his hands, so they could postpone the wedding for years if need be. However, that only left one issue._

" _You do realize that you just kind of asked me to marry you, right?"_

 _Sephiroth stared at her with a blank expression for a few seconds before bursting out in laughter. Actual laughter. Not just a small grin or scoff like he usually did, but actual, full-blown laughter. Valon wished she had a camera so she could record this moment. She strongly believed the General to be incapable of laughing, so witnessing this was nothing short of a miracle._

" _Ah, forgive me." Sephiroth said, still hiccuping slightly. "You're adorable."_

 _If Valon's jaw hadn't already been on the floor, it would be now. Had the world gone mad on her? Not only had the terrifying, all-powerful_ Sephiroth _just laughed, he had used a disgustingly cutesy word to describe her. What the hell._

 _However, Valon learned something valuable at that moment. Sephiroth was just as human as she was. And a lot more interesting than she thought. Not as boring as an empty wine barrel, at least. In fact, she felt like she was finally seeing the real Sephiroth, the soul behind the General._

 _She had to admit, she liked it when he laughed. He had a beautiful smile._

 _She nodded to herself and took another large swig from the now only half full bottle as if it were liquid courage. She had made her decision._

" _Do it properly." she demanded._

" _What?" Sephiroth asked confused. Valon sighed and glared at him sternly._

" _I'm going to be proposed to only once in my life, you egg. Do it properly."_

 _Sephiroth, a bit taken aback by the nickname, raised his eyebrow in confusion. Truth be told, he had no clue how to ask someone to marry them properly. When he didn't move, Valon sighed and stood. She walked to his cupboard and opened a drawer, rummaging through the stuff and cursing when she couldn't find whatever she was looking for. She looked around some more, walking into the kitchen and his bedroom, but cursed again._

" _What are you-" Sephiroth tried to ask, but Valon interrupted him by dismissively lifting her index finger in the air. Then, she walked to the door and slipped her boots on._

" _I'll be right back." she said, and before Sephiroth could respond, she was gone._

 _The General shook his head and grabbed the wine bottle. He figured he'd pour himself a glass, too. He got up and stalked to the cupboard. He grabbed to wine glasses and put them on the table where he filled them with the crimson drink. He sat back down and raised his glass to his lips, but just as he tried to take a sip, his PHS rang. Groaning, he put the glass back down and flipped the mobile phone open. Angeal, the blue letters revealed. He sighed and pressed the green button, then raised the small machine to his ear._

" _General Sephiro-"_

" _Seph, what the hell has gotten into Valon?" Angeal roared. Sephiroth pinched the bridge of his nose. Oh dear._

" _What happened?"_

" _She barged into my apartment, jumped Zachary, almost ripped his earring out and muttered 'this'll do' before storming off again."_

 _Sephiroth could hear the Commander's protege whine in the background._

" _I have no idea. She was-" but before he could explain, his door opened again. A quite frantic looking Valon stormed back in, her hand clenched around something tightly._

" _I'll call you back." Sephiroth sighed. He hung up and put his phone back in his pocket before looking at his aide angrily. "What-"_

 _But, for what felt like the thousandth time that evening, he was interrupted. Valon held out her closed fist and Sephiroth reached to it, accepting what he assumed to be Zack's earring. He looked at the small, silver ring and then back at Valon. What in the world did she want the boy's jewelry for?_

" _Stand." Valon ordered. Sephiroth obeyed, much to his own surprise. He was glad nobody had to see him like this, the great Silver General being ordered around by his aide? Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous._

" _Get down on one knee." Sephiroth did as he was told again. He lowered himself, supporting his weight on his knee. Much to his confusion, Valon gasped in acted surprise. Then, she bent over to him and put her hand next to her mouth as if she wanted to tell him a secret._

" _Hold out the ring," she whispered, "and ask me to marry you."_

 _Sephiroth snorted as Valon straightened herself and went back to acting out her feigned surprise, shook his head and stretched his arm, the silver piercing resting on his palm._

" _Will you marry me?"_

 _Again, Valon gasped in fake shock. She slapped her rose cheeks a few times as if she was checking if she wasn't dreaming. Then, she smiled at him brightly and nodded. "Yes!"_

 _She held out her left hand, palm facing the ground, and bent over a little again. "Put it on my finger." she whispered, and Sephiroth did, shoving the silver jewelry on her ring finger. It was way too small, it didn't fit past the second joint, but it appeared to be good enough for Valon. She lowered herself on her knees to face him, but she was a lot smaller than him so she only barely reached his chest. Then, she grabbed his hands tightly and smiled. A genuine smile, this time. Before he knew it, Sephiroth could feel the corners of his own mouth twitch upwards slightly, but his expression twisted into confusion again when she slowly moved her face closer to his. Valon squeezed his hands a little, and only then did he notice how small and soft her hands really were. Unusual for a warrior, but it suited her somehow._

 _Then, she closed the small gap that was left between them as she pressed her lips to his in a kiss. It was an innocent peck, a small kiss as soft as a feather, and Sephiroth could feel his heart skip a beat._

* * *

AN: Now wasn't that just adorable? Awkward, but adorable. To tell you the truth, I doubt Sephiroth would know how to propose to someone. Now that I think about it, do they even have traditions like that in the Final Fantasy VII universe? The getting on your knee stuff? I have absolutely no clue. Hmm.

Poor Zack. No worries, his ear is fine! He's just a little shaken up 's all. He'll live through it. But yeah, all flashbacks this time! I hope you enjoyed the eighth chapter! Thank you so much for reading :)


	9. IX: A Hint of Vanilla

**IX: A Hint of Vanilla**

It had been a few weeks since the Lieutenant was attacked by the beast from Wutai, and even though the negotiations were still ongoing, the situation was tense. Whispers of war were heard in the halls of the Shinra building and even the President himself seemed worried. The people were scared of another attack and security was tighter than ever.

Despite all that, Zack was happy. All of his friends were home safe and they weren't buried in their work as much as before, he had found a new friend in the chocobo boy he'd met a couple of weeks ago and it looked like none of them had to go on faraway missions for the time being. That alone was enough to give him some peace of mind.

He was just about to meet up with Cloud when he noticed Genesis stalking through the hallways, a mischievous grin plastered on his handsome face.

"Gen! Hey, wait up!" Zack yelled as he jogged to the redhead.

"Oh, hey pup." Genesis greeted him.

"What are you up to?" Zack asked. Whenever Genesis was grinning to himself like that, he was up to something. Zack had learned that the hard way. The redhead loved his pranks, after all.

The Commander snorted. "You know how Valon takes way too much pride in her mutation?" he explained. Zack nodded. Most high ranking officers in SOLDIER had a nickname, Sephiroth for example was the Silver General, and Valon was the Monochrome Lieutenant. Her nickname had started as a lighthearted joke amongst the other SOLDIERs to mock her bizarre mutation, but she had quickly adopted the name and taking pride in it. Since SOLDIER Firsts didn't have an issued uniform, they could dress themselves however they wished, and since the nickname had spread, Valon had changed her wardrobe to black- and white items only. She had even designed a new sword, also black and white of course.

"Well, I wanted to make fun of that fact." Genesis continued. "I have a perfect plan."

Zack jumped up and down enthusiastically. He loved pranks. At least, when he wasn't the target.

"Can I help?" he asked, and when the Commander stroked his chin in doubt, he widened his violet eyes, pushed his lower lip outwards ever so slightly and made a whiny noise. The puppy-stare, Angeal called it, and it had proven itself to be irresistible.

Genesis threw his hands in the air in defeat. "Very well, then. Let's go."

The Commander turned around and made his way to the elevator, Zack following closely.

"Where are we going?" Zack asked as Genesis pressed the lowest button.

"You'll see."

Zack grinned and followed Genesis outside and off the Shinra premises. He quickly caught on, they were heading towards the train station. They got on the train and seated themselves in an empty cabin, where Zack finally lost his patience.

"What are we going to do?" he asked.

"You'll see." Genesis repeated himself, grinning widely once more.

* * *

Valon groaned loudly, threw her pen down and slouched back into her chair. Sephiroth, who was seated on the other side of the desk, looked at her in a stern way.

"What are you moaning about?" he asked, his silver eyebrows raised slightly.

"No fun things, that's for sure." Valon snorted and shook her head. She was just reading some of the letters that some of the departments within Shinra had sent her, most of them were small requests or other pieces of standard information, but this envelope contained a letter from professor Hojo.

"I have another Mako injection soon." she sighed. Hojo had been routinely injecting her even more than ever before. Usually, the routinely Mako injections for a SOLDIER First were twice a month, but lately, Valon had to go at least once a week. She didn't even know why Hojo had decided she needed more, but she hated the Mako injections with the burning passion of a thousand burning suns, so she always dreaded the moment one of his handwritten letters found their way onto her desk.

Sephiroth shook his head. "You have to trust the professor."

"I know, I know, but those injections suck, you know. I'll be out cold for the rest of the day."

"That's problematic, indeed." the General agreed. "You're unbearable after your injections. May the Gods have mercy on my soul."

Valon threw her pen at him, which he dodged effortlessly. "You know, proper husbands support their wives when they're stressed."

Sephiroth hummed, amused. "That might be so, but I'm not your husband. Not yet, at least."

"You're an egg, you know that?"

"I'm quite aware of that."

Valon laughed at the smug face the General made and searched for another pen to throw at him, but was suddenly hit in her own face by something. Perplexed, she stared at the offender, a crumpled ball of paper undoubtedly thrown by her husband-to-be. She rose from her seat and stared at Sephiroth in fake anger as she grabbed the paper ball and threw it back at him. He rose as well and grabbed the pen she had thrown at him earlier. He aimed at her shoulder and hit his target effortlessly. Valon gasped.

"This is war!" she yelled. Then, with a loud battle cry, she jumped over the desk and tackled Sephiroth, who didn't even try to dodge. They fell on the ground and Valon tried to pin him down, but despite her immense strength, she was no match for him at all. With one smooth movement, he flipped their positions and pinned her wrists above her head with only one hand. He grinned victoriously and she pouted, recognizing defeat. Sephiroth bent over to whisper something to her, his lips so close to her ear she could hear his controlled breathing and feel the warmth of his breath against the side of her face.

"Don't make that face." he whispered. "You know you love laying underneath me." his voice was low and husky, succeeding in sending shivers down her spine. His long, silver hair tickled her cheek and neck and she couldn't help but inhale his scent. He always smelled so nice. It was a spicy scent which reminded her of the warmth of a fireplace in the winter, the taste of cinnamon and something else, something sweet she could hardly notice, just barely there. Vanilla, she had long ago concluded.

When she realized she was blushing, she tried to shake her wrists free. When she didn't succeed, she shook her head so fast it almost made her dizzy. "We're at work, you egg."

He laughed softly, his warm breath once again tickling her ear, and pulled back. "I'll let you off the hook this time."

He let go of her wrists, ruffled her hair affectionately and rose to his feet. He offered her his hand to help her up. When they were both standing, they straightened their clothes to look at least somewhat presentable again. Sephiroth took a step closer to her and opened his mouth to say something, but whatever he had wanted to say to her was forever lost when the door slammed open with a loud bang. The General and the Lieutenant turned to face the door, only to be greeted by a quite frantic looking Genesis.

"Genesis, what's wrong?" Sephiroth asked, concern clear in his voice.

"Your apartment, quickly!" he yelled. Sephiroth and Valon looked at each other for a moment before storming off, Valon trailing close behind the General as they ran through the hallways. In their hurry they decided to take the stairs, skipping multiple steps at a time, and they made it back to their apartment in record time. Zack stood in front of the door, his face twisted in an expression of complete panic.

"Pup!" Valon ran up to him and grabbed his shoulders firmly. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Zack only shook his head. Valon looked up at Sephiroth, who was already holding the doorknob firmly with his right hand, his left on the hilt of the Masamune, ready to attack whatever it was that was lurking behind the door. The Lieutenant followed suit, releasing Zack's shoulders with one last look of concern, before drawing her own sword and taking her place behind the General, ready to cover him. Then, Sephiroth opened the door and jumped inside, only to come to an abrupt halt. He looked around in disbelief, their normally spotless apartment was an absolute mess. There was dirt and mud everywhere, wet stains were all over the carpet and the contents of both their cupboard and bookcase were scattered all over the ground. However, there were no signs of a threat.

"What the hell happened here?" Valon asked, scanning the room with a shocked expression. They both advanced into the room, picking up some of the fallen stuff as they did.

"Wait, did you hear that?" Sephiroth asked, his enhanced hearing picking up some squeaky sounds. Valon nodded and looked around again, trying to find the source of the noise.

"It's coming from the bedroom." the General concluded. He pointed at their open bedroom door. He slowly stalked towards it, Valon following closely behind him, and they entered the bedroom. The sounds became louder, but it didn't seem threatening at all. It sounded afraid.

Sephiroth pointed towards the bed. "Underneath it." he mouthed, trying not to make a sound as they both lowered to the floor and crawled towards the bed. From the shadows, a small pair of eyes stared at them in fear, and Sephiroth cursed when he recognized what it was. When it made another scared noise and turned its black and white body around, its behind facing the two now, he pushed Valon aside and rolled away from the bed, just in time to dodge the skunk's spray.

* * *

AN: Not much to say about this one. I wrote this in the middle of the night, somewhere between 2:30 am and 4:30 am, so despite having read through it over four times, there might be some mistakes I didn't notice. Sorry! That's what you get for trying to push out another chapter while you should be sleeping.


	10. X: Chocobo Boy

**X: Chocobo Boy**

"Pleaaase?" Zack begged Sephiroth and Valon. The General, who had been ignoring the boy all morning, finally gave in to his annoyance as his face snapped up and his gaze met with Zack's. Zack immediately started back a little, Sephiroth was absolutely terrifying when he was angry. The youth gulped as the Silver General continued to stare him down, eyebrows in a frown and lips pressed to a thin line.

He decided that Valon was an absolute angel, his saviour, his hero, when she got up and blocked Sephiroth's view by standing in front of him. He released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding in a stuttering manner, but inhaled sharply when the Lieutenant looked at him in an almost as annoyed manner as Sephiroth had.

"Puppy," she said sternly as she lifted her finger in the air and waved it back and forth only inches away from his face. "Can't you see we're drowning in work?"

Zack nodded. "Yes, but I really want you to meet the chocobo boy!"

Zack had pestered his friends all morning to come and watch his new friend train. He had started with Angeal, whom he knew would need the least persuasion. He only had to casually mention he had met a particularly talented cadet and his mentor had all but insisted to meet him. Next, he figured Valon would be the easiest to convince, and if the Lieutenant agreed, the General tended to follow, too. The woman had the peculiar talent to make the General do as she pleased.

Which was an absolutely terrifying thing, if you asked Zack. Women were absolute miracles, so much so that not even the Great General Sephiroth could resist.

However, after trying all morning, Valon hadn't even tried to listen to him. Hell, she even managed to turn him into her personal assistant. If he had to go and grab one more coffee for the black- and white haired woman, he'd go mad.

Valon shook her head, sighed and walked back to her desk, where a small skunk was sleeping soundly. The prank Genesis and he had pulled had completely backfired on them. Who would've guessed that the Monochrome Lieutenant would take a liking to the animal as soon as she'd lay eyes on it? And even more remarkable, the skunk had instantly taken a liking to her too. It probably figured she was a skunk as well.

Zack snorted at the thought.

Valon stretched her arm to pet the sleeping animal. Gently stroking his fur, she pouted in thought. She hadn't lied to the Puppy, they _were_ drowning in work. However, she figured they could desperately use a break, Sephiroth even more so than herself. She couldn't remember the man coming home last night, and when she woke up at oh-five- _way-too-fucking-early_ -hundred, her husband-to-be was nowhere in sight. And indeed, when she arrived at the office, he was already - _still_?- furiously typing and writing and reading at the same time. She shook her head, the man would die due to exhaustion before he'd hit thirty.

Wait...

"Thirty?" she exclaimed, seemingly out of nowhere. Both Zack and Sephiroth looked at her in confusion, but she shook her head again. She just realized she didn't even know how old Sephiroth was. He couldn't be that much older than herself, but still...

She had to ask him that sometimes soon, she decided. She turned her gaze to the skunk again, he had just started to wake up, making high-pitched noises when he did.

"Good morning, Sebastian!" she grinned as she lifted her new pet from the desk and onto her shoulder. Zack and Genesis their jaws had all but dropped the floor when she thanked them for the present. She knew it was a prank, of course she did, everyone in SOLDIER just _loved_ teasing her about her mutation, but the fact was that she absolutely loved the little black- and white critter. It seemed to like her too, making angry hissing noises at everyone in the room except her. Sephiroth almost skewered the poor thing with the Masamune when the skunk had tried to spray the General for a second time, but Valon had used her own sword to block the blow. Then she had announced that they'd take it in as a pet, in a tone that left no room for arguing. She had also commanded Genesis and Zack to clean their wrecked apartment.

Valon laughed at the memory, but her expression quickly turned serious when Sephiroth all but slammed his pen down with such force she was surprised the desk was still standing. Then, he pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers and sighed loudly.

"You're going mad, woman." he scoffed.

"Wha-?" Valon gasped in surprise at the exclamation. Behind her, she could hear Zack shift uncomfortably in his seat.

"You're yelling random numbers, talking to an animal and laughing at nothing. You're going mad." her betrothed stated it as a fact. Then, he rose from his seat and grabbed the Masamune from the rack on the wall and snorted when he heard Zack whimper in terror.

"Valon obviously needs a break, and frankly, so do I. Take us to the chocobo boy." he commanded the youth with a grin. Zack all but jumped from his seat with a huge grin plastered on his face.

They arrived at the cadet training grounds only few minutes later. Sephiroth had called Genesis and ordered him to tag along, although the order wasn't needed. The redhead had been looking for an excuse to take a break for the past two hours, so the General's call had been all but a blessing. After that, Zack had called Angeal to tell them they were going to see his friend. So there they stood, still unnoticed by the platoon of cadets and their instructor. The cadets looked tired, but most of them still had a determined look on their face, Sephiroth noted with a hint of a proud smile gracing his features. Watching them preform basic katas with the standard issue broadswords, the General found himself nodding in approval multiple times. They looked like a promising bunch. After a few minutes, the instructor, a man Sephiroth recognized as SOLDIER Second Jeffrey Parcel, paired the cadets in pairs of two to perform some basic sparring.

Zack excitedly pointed at a small, slim boy with unruly golden hair. "There's the chocobo boy!"

The four followed his pointing finger and Genesis laughed loudly. "He _does_ look like a chocobo."

"Hmm," Zack grinned proudly as the boy executed his offense almost flawlessly. "his name is Cloud Strife."

Again, Genesis laughed. "What a ridiculous name."

"If you say so, _Genesis Rhapsodos._ " Angeal smirked. Genesis threw his hands up in defense. "Low blow, my friend."

Zack laughed at their friends and glanced over at the General and his Lieutenant, who both were standing tall with their arms crossed and thoughtful looks on their faces. Both of them had their eyes narrowed slightly as they followed Cloud's every move. When the boy made a minor mistake, Sephiroth's lips pressed to a thin line.

"Odd." he raised his eyebrow slightly, and Valon only nodded in agreement.

"What's odd?" Zack asked curiously. Valon, who had brought Sebastian along, petted the thing as it was sitting on her shoulder, features twisted in thought. She opened her mouth to answer his question, but Sephiroth beat her to it.

"He's holding back."

Zack raised his eyebrows in confusion. What were they talking about? Cloud seemed perfectly normal to him. Talented, yes, but nothing exceptionally odd.

"Maybe not." Valon disagreed. "Maybe he just has impeccable instincts, but his body can't keep up. I've seen it happen before, although not quite to this extent." at that, she grabbed the skunk and handed it to Angeal, who placed the animal on his own broad shoulder, where it made a few complaining noises. Then, Valon drew her sword and stared at it thoughtfully. Sephiroth held up his hand in protest.

"He's just a cadet, Valon. It can wait until-"

"I won't harm him." she glared at him defiantly, but didn't wait around for his answer. She stalked towards the platoon without second thought. Zack yelped in surprise, what was she planning to do?

"Parcel," Valon made her presence known. The SOLDIER Second instantly snapped to a salute, and all the cadets dropped their swords to the ground to mimic their instructor.

"Lieutenant Harper, ma'am!" he yelled in acknowledgment. Valon nodded as she twirled her sword around a few times. The looks on the boys' faces unnerved her. The mixture of fear, surprise and worship was something she'd never get used to. She quickly scanned the platoon and found her target again. She stalked to him and locked eyes, trying to read him. She had expected to see the same fear or worship as his squad mates in his eyes, but she was a bit taken aback by what she saw instead. A combination of anger and confusion.

"Name?" she shook her head, dismissing the strange feeling that overcame her. That look sure was a first.

"Cloud Strife, ma'am." the boy said.

"Lieutenant Valon Harper," she introduced herself, the corners of her mouth twisted upwards a little in a polite smile. "Grab your sword."

The chocobo boy stared at her with his eyebrows raised in surprise, but the clever boy did as he was told.

"Lieutenant, with all due respect, but-" the SOLDIER Second interrupted, but Valon raised her hand in dismissal.

"Forgive me for interrupting your instructions, Jeffrey, but if you'd please give Cadet Cloud Strife and myself some space?"

Jeffrey Parcel only nodded as he ushered all the other cadets to stand back, and stand back far. He shook his head as he took his place in front of the platoon to protect them from any stray attacks if need be. He had never seen the Lieutenant like this. She always was a caring and outgoing type of person, ever kind and loyal and friendly and even when giving orders, she never failed to listen to her squad's opinions and thoughts. He'd had the privilege of working under her a couple of times before, so he felt confident enough to say he at least knew her somewhat well. For her to challenge a cadet, no matter how talented, to a spar was out of character. When the Second glanced to his right and saw the General and the two Commanders looking at the spectacle with unease clearly readable on their faces, even on Sephiroth's normally so stoic face, he knew she wasn't entirely acting like herself. He wondered what had made the blond cadet stand out so much to the Lieutenant.

He didn't have more time to think about it though, the spar had started.

Valon didn't take the time to ask the boy if he was ready. Although she did hold back her strength and speed, she still expected her first charge to be way too much for the cadet, but the boy dodged her attack seemingly effortlessly. He rolled away and looked at her wide-eyed. When he realized she wouldn't give him time to get over his shock, he readied his sword again. Valon nodded in approval and charged at him once more, this time locking swords with Cloud and trying to overpower him, pushing him back a few inches with the sheer force of her charge, but he didn't budge. No, indeed he didn't. Instead, he twisted his sword with a flick of his wrist, catching her by surprise. Then, he kicked her kneecap and rolled out of the swordlock.

This time, Valon laughed loudly as she bent over to rub her pained knee. If the boy would've been enhanced, her knee would've been dislocated. And that was a best-case scenario.

The spar continued for a while, and everyone was looking in awe at the spectacle. Everybody knew the scrawny blond in the platoon was talented, but facing a real opponent, they all finally got to see the extent of his talent.

It was obvious to Valon that she was right, and Sephiroth was not. Which was unusual, the General was an absolute genius she'd never dream of competing with, but this time, she was sure her assumptions were correct. The boy had instincts on par with any other SOLDIER First, dodging or blocking every swing and kick. He wasn't holding back, his body just couldn't keep up. He was out of breath and every now and then he underestimated his reach or took steps that would've been perfect would the short boy have been taller. Instead, he almost tripped when he tried to take those steps.

With the right amount of training and a couple of enhancements, the blond youth would make an amazing addition to the SOLDIERs, Valon decided. He just needed more time and proper training. She nodded again, took a few steps back and smiled at Cloud brightly.

"Very well done, Cadet." she said. The panting boy only scoffed at her in irritation. She opened her mouth to speak again, but a screaming whirlwind of black ran past her and up to Cloud. Zack hugged his friend tightly and yelled some more, causing Valon to laugh out loud once more.

"You were amazing!" Zack screamed at his friend, shaking him roughly. The Lieutenant decided to leave the friends be. She sheathed her sword and walked up to the General and the Commanders. Only Genesis seemed amused. Valon didn't care though. She walked up to Sephiroth and booped his nose with her index finger. "I was right."

Sephiroth scratched his nose and scoffed. The woman could be such a pain in the ass, sparring with a cadet like that. But, he had to admit, a true challenge was the only way to measure the youth's true potential. He still didn't agree with Valon's conclusion though. There was something about the cadet he wasn't quite able to see yet, and he decided there and then to keep a close eye on the chocobo boy.

"I hope Zack will forgive me." Valon grinned as she took Sebastian from Angeal.

* * *

AN: I really enjoy calling Cloud "chocobo boy" way too much. Ah well. I know you all might wonder how the past few chapters will be related to the plot but please bear with me, I'm trying to build some things up (and horribly failing at it, I suppose, lol).


	11. XI: Lines and Curves

AN: Hey guys! A little warning: This chapter'll contain some minor sexual stuff. Don't worry, it's pretty mild. Finally a justified reason to have this fiction rated M, besides the occasional swearing.

Anyways, just a head's up! Enjoy :)

* * *

 **XI: Lines and Curves**

Sephiroth sat down in his spacious couch, allowing himself to slouch ever so slightly. He rubbed his temples with a sigh. He'd have a terrible headache for the rest of the evening.

"Here," he heard Valon say, and as he looked up he saw the woman bent over to meet him at eye level. She was holding out a glass of wine, swishing the red liquid around in the glass as if to tempt him, but that wouldn't be necessary. He accepted the drink, thanked her with a curt nod and took a large swig. It truly was a curse, he mused, not being able to get drunk thanks to the Mako. Well, not properly drunk at least. If he drank enough, he'd get that buzzed feeling. That feeling would continue until he stopped

drinking and then wear off within fifteen minutes.

Getting absolutely wasted and the terrible hangover that would no doubt be the result of that was one of the many things he'd never been able to experience, having been injected with Mako at a very young age. He couldn't even remember a time where his green eyes hadn't glowed and frankly he doubted there ever really was one. Perhaps as a babe, but he doubted it. Professor Hojo was is father, after all.

He was shaken out of his thoughts when Valon reappeared from the kitchen with the bottle of wine. He rose his eyebrow when he finally noticed her attire.

"Really?" he groaned, but he couldn't quite mask his amusement. Valon twirled around and laughed. "Do you like it?"

Valon had apparently decided to try and cheer him up by dressing up. She wore a small pair of white panties with a small black bow smack in the middle of it, a white pair of socks that were way too big and hanging loosely around her ankles. Sephiroth assumed they were his. Just like the jacket she was wearing. She was _actually_ wearing his long leather jacket, pauldrons and all, but had decided to keep it unbuttoned, showing off her strong, muscular build and soft, feminine curves all the same.

And that was about it.

The coat dragged on the floor behind her, it being way too big for her, and the sleeves were rolled up so she could still use her hands. Sephiroth found it all incredibly ridiculous and terribly adorable. He himself wore a simple white button-up and dark jeans, an attire he knew for a fact Valon loved on him. Especially the white button-up. Something about his muscles, she had once said.

The woman in question put her wine back on the table and stepped on the couch. Then, she swung her one leg behind him and turned so she could sit on the back of the couch, one leg at each of his sides. He responded by wrapping his arms around her upper legs and hanging back, enjoying the contact. She had taken to combing his long hair with her fingers, a habit she couldn't get over. She had once told him that his hair was about as legendary as his sword.

"What's bothering you?" Valon asked softly, still stroking his silver locks.

"You." he laughed, but shook his head as she gently tugged his hair.

"Your behaviour today was _way_ out of line, you know."

Valon hummed. "Yeah, I'm going to go see the chocobo boy tomorrow to apologize. I was, err, what words would you use?" she stopped petting his hair for a moment to think, but picked the motions right back up when she figured it out. "Overcome by curiosity."

Again, Sephiroth laughed. "Fair enough."

Valon was done with combing and petting and had taken to braiding it. He'd never understand why she loved to braid his hair. If there was one thing he'd learned from the woman is that women were absolute enigmas.

When Valon bent over to collect some loose strands that were draped over his shoulder, he could feel her bosom touching the back of his head. He blessed the fact that he was always perfectly able to mask a blush.

He coughed loudly. "Anyways, I have a favour to ask."

"Oh?" Valon hummed. Although he couldn't see her, he knew she'd be grinning.

"Two, actually." Sephiroth corrected himself before continuing. "I was hoping you could get me a copy of the chocobo boy's files."

"You can pull those from your own computer, you know?" Valon laughed.

"A fine aide you make." Sephiroth snorted. "Anyways, the second request isn't exactly for you."

"Want me to run an errand, then?"

Sephiroth nodded. "I was hoping your Turk friend could snoop around for some more information concerning Zachary's chocobo friend."

To his surprise, Valon released his hair and snorted. "Absolutely not."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, it's a long story, but I owe Devon. A lot."

Sephiroth turned around to look his intended in the eyes, she was grinning sheepishly.

"What do you owe him?"

"Twenty bottles of wine."

"Excuse me?"

Valon flicked his nose. "You stuck in a loop? Need a reboot?"

Sephiroth shook his head, turned back and took a sip of his wine. What the hell did the woman do to owe her best friend that many bottles of wine? Either way, he couldn't claim to be close friends with the Turk, but he knew the man well enough to know he'd kick his lieutenant's ass if she showed up empty-handed. Especially when it came to wine. There was nothing in the world the two friends took more seriously than wine.

"Take some from my storage, then."

" _Our_ storage." Valon corrected him. "Anyways, what do you need all this information for?"

"I'm curious about the boy. We both saw it today, there's something interesting about him."

Valon hummed in agreement. She bent over, wrapped her arms around his neck and lowered her face next to his, her cheek pressing softly against his and her chin resting gently on her own arm. As he leaned back in the touch, he realized how tired he actually was. As if she read his mind, she pressed a kiss on his cheek and chuckled. "You work too hard."

Then, she released her hold on him and got off the couch. She grabbed her glass of wine, took a sip and lowered herself a little to meet Sephiroth's gaze into nothing. "Headache?"

Sephiroth only nodded. Valon put her glass back on the table and turned to move to their bedroom, Sephiroth's coat dragging on the floor as she did. When she returned, she held her bracer and a faintly glowing materia.

"Restore." she told him as she slotted the ball in her bracer. Then, she flashed him a mischievous grin. "Want to help?"

Sephiroth chuckled and stood. She equipped the bracer, turned around and leaned back as Sephiroth pressed himself against her back. With one hand he held hers, their arms uselessly hanging down their sides, and he hooked his other arm underneath hers as she stretched it to the side. He pushed on her stomach slightly, just above her bellybutton, and bent down so he could whisper his instructions in her ear.

"Can you feel the energy?" he breathed, putting slightly more pressure to the hand on her stomach. He smiled as he felt her shudder.

"Concentrate, follow the flow." He traced her muscled stomach with his hand in an upward motion and in an agonizingly slow pace. He halted again when he had reached her heart, which he felt was beating rather fast.

"Keep it there," he whispered, chuckling when Valon hummed. "now, all the way to here."

His hand trailed to the side, brushing softly over her breast and lingering there for not even a second before continuing his path down her arm, only coming to a full stop when his hand covered hers. He smiled as he remembered their first training session with materia, which had went pretty much the same way and, he assumed, probably had the same ending.

"Release." he hummed. She gently tugged her hands free, turned around and put the hand with the bracer to his cheek, where she did release the energy. Slowly but surely, the energy surging through the tips of her fingers reached Sephiroth and made quick work of his headache. He wanted to thank her, but before he could speak, he felt himself being pulled down a little. He could only guess that Valon stood on her toes, but he didn't dare look away. If there was one thing he had learned from Valon, it was that women were marvelous creatures. At least, she was.

Their lips brushed against each other and every bit of restraint the General had was gone when she whimpered with want. He kissed her passionately, roughly, and the feel of her tongue against his own sent sparks through his body. She pushed him backwards, in the general direction of the couch, not once breaking the kiss as he felt himself colliding with the leather furniture. He lowered himself slowly and leaned back as Valon crawled on his lap, her legs to his sides and her weight only supported by her knees. He grabbed her hips to lower her onto his lap, but his hands lingered on her skin as he let his fingers trail up and down her sides. She buried her hands in his long silver locks, pulling them every now and then when he made a rocking motion with his hips. Each movement she made in return sent fireworks through his stomach and every one of her soft gasps were rewarded with a low groan of his own.

They broke the kiss only for some much needed air, but his hands kept traveling up and down her body, tracing every hard line of every sculpted muscle and every soft curve. He knew them all so well, but he swore he'd never get tired of them. They didn't do this as often as they should, he decided.

His eyes locked with hers as he trailed upwards, deciding to leave one of his hands on her breast as the other wrapped around her neck, beckoning her to lower her face again. She obeyed him and he groaned as she smiled a crooked grin, a fierce red blush matching the intensity of her crimson eye across her cheeks. No matter how poised the Lieutenant was, every single touch of the General had her blushing if he wanted her to, and he never felt so powerful as when he did just that.

Their lips found their way back to each other once more and he deepened the kiss even more than he'd ever thought possible, and when his thumb teasingly brushed against her nipple, she moaned in the kiss and sent an explosive feeling through his body, making him see stars, which only intensified when her hands made their way down to his pants. She tried to open his button too quickly, only resulting in clumsy movements as she broke the kiss for only a few seconds to curse under her breath. He wondered what had made her so particularly needy this day, but he wouldn't dare complain. Besides, he was too distracted by his painfully tight jeans.

Just as he shoved the jacket off her shoulders and the heavy pauldrons dropped to the ground with a loud, clattering sound, she managed to open up the stubborn button and made quick work of the zippers as well. She pulled at the elastic band of his boxers and just as she was about to slip her fingers in, they were rudely interrupted by the General's PHS ringing. Valon groaned in annoyance and got off of his lap so he could go and pick up the phone that was laying discarded at the table, next to their ignored glasses of wine. He looked at her apologetically and flipped his phone open, only to raise his eyebrow when he heard Valon's PHS ringing as well. Valon could barely turn to fetch it when a terrible explosion nearly deafened them both.

* * *

AN: I'm actually blushing, guys. Oh my.

But yeah, 2 chapters in one day. Whoo! It's really hot right now where I live, and I just don't have the energy to move my butt from my chair, so what else to do than writing and editing, I guess. Also, I changed the genre from Humour to Romance, because initially I thought it was going to be a lot more of a crack fic than anything else, but whelp, here we are. Sorry about that! Ofcourse you can still expect my horrid sense of humour, so that won't change.


	12. XII: Black Wings

**XII: Black Wings**

"What the hell is going on?" Valon screamed into her PHS, not even bothering to check who had called her. On the other side of the room, Sephiroth had a heated discussion with someone on his own mobile device.

"Val, it's me." she heard the frantic voice of her best friend. "You have to hurry to the cadet barracks, I'll fill you in when you get there, just hurry."

She inhaled sharply, she'd never heard Devon sound this stressed. He was the calmest person she knew. What the hell had happened?

She hung up her phone and it appeared Sephiroth had just done the same. He grabbed the Masamune and turned to her. "I'm going to the President. He needs protection."

"Terrorists?" Valon asked as she rushed to the bedroom to throw on her clothing as fast as she could.

"Seems like it." Sephiroth spoke loudly to make sure the Lieutenant heard him from the other side of the wall.

Valon cursed. "I'm being expected at the barracks." she said as she tied a sloppy knot in her shoelaces. She slotted a Lightning and a Fire materia to her bracer which still contained a Restore, grabbed her own sword and rushed to the General to give him a hasted kiss on his cheek. "Be safe."

When Sephiroth nodded sharply and told her to do the same, she turned and ran towards the barracks as fast as her legs could carry her. The entire building was in complete chaos, SOLDIERs were barking orders at anyone who could hear them, random employees were running around the hallways with stacks of papers and even entire computers, probably containing highly sensitive information, and anyone who carried anything remotely looking like a weapon were franticly searching for a commander, sergeant or any other person ranking higher than themselves to get their orders. Entire squads were scattered about and looking for each other in the chaos and Valon couldn't help but be extremely disappointed. What the hell did they have emergency protocol for anyways if nobody was able to follow it? If they'd survive whatever this was, she swore on all the deities she could name that she'd issue punishment to any- and everyone on the entire goddamn premise.

When she finally arrived at the barracks, she couldn't help but stare in shock at the destruction. The entire building, rather, any part of it that was still standing, was ablaze, the fire radiating a scorching heat that would make even Ifrit jealous. She spotted Devon shouting orders to a group of Turks and ran towards him.

"Devon," the Lieutenant yelled. "What the hell is going on?"

The Turk whirled around, his gunblade drawn but not aimed at anything in particular.

"There's been a breech in security and they blew up the greater part of the barracks." Devon started to explain. "Earlier this evening Tseng and I spotted some suspicious behaviour in the barracks. We were checking the security cameras as a couple of them had been compromised when we noticed a figure sneaking about the premises. We were just about to report this to you and the General, and then, well," he pointed at the burning building with his gunblade. "Then, this."

The scene around them was absolutely gruesome. Medics were healing boys with horrible burns all around them while SOLDIERs, Turks and troopers were pulling both bodies and survivors from the rubble and trying to extinguish the fire. People were screaming in horror, pain or grief and men were yelling orders all around them.

"I'm going in and help find survivors, Tseng is still watching the cameras, trying to find the culprit. I've sent other Turks to check all the buildings and the surrounding area." Devon told his friend. Valon nodded.

"Don't die on me, Turk." she ordered, then the friends shared a quick hug and the brunet rushed into the building, saluting her in a friendly gesture. Valon turned to go and help the medics with the healing, but she barely took a step to one of the commanding healers when a loud roar blared through the air. And then another one. And another.

The Lieutenant cursed when she recognized the sounds. "Shit. Shit, shit shitshitshit _shit_ ," she cursed over and over as she rushed to a nearby squad of SOLDIERs.

"You, with me!" she ordered the squad. The men all saluted messily and their commanding officer stepped forward, saluting again when he reached her. "Timothy Black, SOLDIER Second, commanding officer of Swords Two Theta, ma'am."

Valon nodded in approval as the man told her his name, rank and squad in a textbook perfect manner. Then, she pointed at the handful of SOLDIERs standing behind him. "This your squad?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am."

"Swords Two Theta, I'm your acting commander now." she roared at the men. They all yelled a _ma'am, yes ma'am_ in perfect unison and again, she found herself nodding with approval.

Another shriek, closer this time.

"There's some nasty boys coming our way, soldiers. Watch your backs and those of your squad mates. Anyone who dies under my command will be on my hit-list as soon as I join your sorry asses in the Lifestream, understood?"

"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" they all hollered again.

"Good," she pointed behind the burning barracks. "Move out, Wedge formation!"

The men all followed her in perfect formation as they ran towards the source of the horrible shrieks, still a while away from them. She only ordered them to halt after about five minutes of running in the opposite direction from the premises, when a SOLDIER in the rear spotted one of the terrible beasts that had attacked Valon back in the Wastelands. Quickly, Valon scanned the sky, she counted about ten of the Thunderbirds, although some were still quite a distance away from them. Had they all flown to their target? The last time she'd had the displeasure to meet one of the monsters, it had burrowed it's way through the ground. This was good news, if they would have dug themselves all the way to the building, there would have been countless more casualties. At least now they could stop the birds before they'd reach their goal.

However, there wasn't much they could do when the birds were airborne. She scoffed at the birds in anger and grabbed her PHS, dialing the number she knew by heart.

"Lieutenant Valon Harper requesting backup." she grumbled, keeping her eyes perfectly focused on the approaching monsters. "We need a Materia squad, location approximately a mile east of the premises."

She told the dispatcher their location and when they confirmed that backup would be on it's way, she flipped her phone shut. Then, she turned to the squad of SOLDIERs, who were anxiously awaiting her order.

"These monsters are serious business, last time I encountered one I got my ass fried bad." she explained to them. "They use a very powerful lightning spell, but the charging takes long. I'm assuming they have to charge when on the ground, so that will be our chance. A Materia squad is on their way, but if you have any Water materia equipped, I want you to shoot the damn bastards while they're airborne." when she was done briefing and giving her orders, one of the birds had spotted the squad and shrieked ferociously as it swooped down their way with terrifying speed. Valon braced herself and the rest of the squad did the same.

"Let's kill some bugs, boys!" she roared and the men behind her screamed their battle cries, keeping morale high. Valon nodded and turned her full attention to the Thunderbird. They could do this, she assured herself. They'd only have to distract the beasts long enough for the Materia squad to arrive. Then they'd be able to shoot them out of the air. Valon mentally slapped herself for not bringing a Water materia with her, then they wouldn't have needed the backup. It appeared only two of the SOLDIERs had it equipped, as the two men took the rear.

The bird landed only a few feet in front of them and flapped its wings dangerously. The Lieutenant braced herself against the force of the gusts of wind it would create, like it had been last time, but she gasped as she felt herself being lifted off of the ground either way. Not by much, but still enough for her to lose her footing. She cursed, were these stronger than the one from before?

When it stopped flapping its wings, she quickly regained her composure and charged at it with a fierce yell.

The bird wouldn't have any of it and pecked at her with terrifying accuracy, she could only barely dodge the razor-sharp beak in time. She rolled to the ground and sprung upwards, using the momento of her roll to give herself a burst of speed as she bolted towards it once more. She got in range and swung her blade, but the Thunderbird blocked the blow with its wing, which was surprisingly sturdy. The feathers were like steel armour, her sword barely able to damage it. She scoffed and jumped back to avoid its counterattack. At the other side of the beast, two men of the Swords Two Theta squad had engaged into battle as well, distracting the bird enough to give Valon a perfect chance to strike. She charged at it again, but instead of aiming at it's neck or even aiming for anything at all, she jumped up as high as she could, grabbing on to the bird's wing as she pulled herself on top of it. She hissed as the feathers cut into her hand, but she ignored the pain and pulled herself further up until she was standing on its back, its long neck perfectly exposed. She raised her sword high and plunged it downwards before it could shake her off, piercing the beast through the neck so deep the tip of her sword came back out through its throat. It shrieked again, making that horrible gurgling sound Valon remembered all too well from her last encounter, and it started thrashing violently to shake her off, but she held on to her sword tightly, the blade so firmly rooted in its body she could use it as a way to steady herself.

However, she hadn't anticipated its next move. When it failed to throw its attacker off, it spread its wings widely, roughly knocking the two SOLDIERs back a few feet. Valon didn't have the time to check if the two were alright as the Thunderbird flapped its wings again and pushed itself from the ground, taking off so effortlessly it didn't even seem to realize its fatal wound. The Lieutenant yelled in surprise as she fell backwards, barely able to grab the crook of its wing to hold on. She cursed as the bird's sword-like feathers dug into her back, stomach, legs and hand, but she gritted her teeth and tried to ignore the pain as they flew higher and higher. If she'd fall now, she'd plummet straight to her certain death. Now _that_ would be a lame way to go, she gloomed. The famed Monochrome Lieutenant, killed while trying to sky dive from a huge bird's back.

She snorted at the thought, but quickly focused on her situation again. She had to find a way to get the bird as low to the ground as possible, and not by it dropping dead from this height, which would only result in a horrible tumble down to the ground. She braced herself for the inevitable pain as she lifted her stomach from the bird's back, pulling out all the blade-like feathers in the action. She gasped at the sharp pain that surged through her entire body, but gritted her teeth once more as she climbed up again, back to its neck and her true goal, her sword. Maybe if she'd clip one of its wings, the beast would be forced to descend. Or maybe it would tumble down and crash, taking her with it, but she couldn't think of any other action to take. She firmly grabbed her sword and wanted to pull, but stopped when another thought crossed her mind.

Wouldn't it die from blood loss if she pulled her sword free? The only reason it hadn't bled to death yet was because her sword was stopping the blood to flow freely. She cursed. What would Sephiroth do?

 _Probably not be stupid enough to jump on a huge bird's back, that's what Sephiroth would do,_ she scolded herself.

She closed her eyes and sighed. Looked like she was dead, either way.

Before she could make a decision though, the bird seemed to remember it had an unwelcome passenger. With another gurgling shriek, it turned its neck an almost perfect one-eighty, its sharp beak snapping at her but it was unable to reach her by only an inch. It tried the same from the other side, but as Valon leaned away from the black blades that were its beak, it again wasn't quite able to reach her. It screamed in frustration as it turned it's entire body around, now hovering upside-down, trying to make her fall off. However, it didn't seem to be able to soar steadily like this, and surely they were descending. Valon held on tightly to her sword as she dangled underneath the beast. The blood on her hands made it nearly impossible to keep a tight grip on the hilt, and she did feel herself slowly slipping. She bit her lip and looked down, hoping they'd have descended enough by now for her to survive the fall, but of course they hadn't. She tried to climb back up, swinging her arm up to try and get a hold of the bird, but her heart skipped a beat when her movement did nothing but dislodging her sword from the bird's neck. With a loud scream, she fell down. She gripped her sword tightly, not that it would do her any good now, and dared to glance at the bird, who swooped down with her, still alive but barely, the wound in it's throat now bleeding freely.

She then realized that it wasn't about to just fall and die yet, no, it absolutely intended to take her with her with exactly zero chance for her to somehow walk away alive. It rushed down head-first, the closed beak aimed at her. With horrible, terrifying knowledge she wouldn't be able to dodge while plummeting down, she just closed her eyes and held her breath and braced for the impact of either the ground or the beak. She had no clue how far of a drop she still had to make, but surely it couldn't be too much longer?

It didn't matter either way, but as she had expected, the beak came first. It had missed any vital organs as it pierced through her shoulder, so easily, as if her flesh and bones were nothing but air. She instinctively dropped her sword and grabbed the beak so it wouldn't pierce her any deeper, although she knew it wouldn't matter. The bird gave another muffled, nasal shriek and then, finally, it died.

It was heavier than Valon was and falling faster than she did, and gravity did it's work. They turned positions and Valon, who now saw how close they really were to the ground, closed here eyes for one last time. Then, with a horrible crash, they finally connected with the ground. The last thing Valon felt was how the impact caused the last few inches of the beak that hadn't yet pierced her to do just that, how her bones shattered like glass and her breath was violently knocked out of her lungs. At last, the world around her disappeared into nothing.

* * *

AN: I barely have any knowledge on how military stuff like squad names and such works, so I just bullshitted it all from the little knowledge I have, based it off of movies and honestly, just sucked most of it out of my thumb. I can imagine this bullshittery would be cringe-worthy to anyone who does have knowledge of it, so I'm really sorry about that.


	13. XIII: Echo

AN: Sexy memory scenes! No, but really, this chapter is pretty much all graphic sex.

* * *

 **XIII: Echo**

 _Sephiroth carried his sleeping aide inside of their apartment, careful not to wake her as he moved around. He gently laid her down on the leather couch and took off his long, black jacket to cover her. He'd bring her to bed soon, but first he wanted to make sure her wounds were healed. Getting blood on his mattress would be a bitch to clean, after all._

 _He brushed a lock of white hair from her face and his fingers lingered on her warm cheek, gently stroking the soft skin with his thumb. He smiled, if only a little. She had done well, exceptionally so. They had been stationed in the south, near Gongaga, to take care of a monster problem. It had only been recently that the new Mako reactor was built there, so unusual high monster activity would be expected. It had gotten a bit out of hand though, and Sephiroth himself had decided to go there and take care of the creatures for good. It had been on a whim though that he had brought Valon with him. The woman had never been on a faraway mission before, having only recently become a SOLDIER Second, but he knew she could do it._

 _And as usual, he was proven right. However, he hadn't anticipated her getting wounded and not telling him about it. Even worse, after coming home early in the morning she had refused her day of leave to rest and went straight back to training._

 _That, of course, had resulted in reopening the barely closed wounds. He gently laid his hand on her forehead and sighed. She had a fever, too._

 _The girl had collapsed while helping him with the reports of their recent mission, and he should have brought her to the infirmary, but after a quick inspection he had decided against it. The wounds weren't deep and the fever didn't appear too bad either, she just needed some basic healing and a lot of rest. The first, he could do himself with no trouble at all and, knowing the girl, the latter would be impossible in a hospital bed. It reminded her of the labs too much, she had told him, and honestly, he couldn't blame her._

 _He was mused out of his thoughts when Valon stirred, groaning as she groggily opened her eyes. "Hey," she greeted him with a half-smile._

" _Hey." he scoffed. "How are you feeling?"_

" _Like shit."_

" _I'm not surprised. Why didn't you tell me you got hurt?"_

" _Because," she turned to her side to be able to face him better and, much to his surprise, she looked at him in a pleading manner. "I didn't want you, ehm,"_

 _He crouched down to face her at eye level and nodded, coaxing her to continue. She sighed and covered her eyes with her arms._

" _I didn't want you to be disappointed with me." she confessed. Sephiroth raised his eyebrow in confusion and bent over, stretching his arm to touch hers. He grabbed her wrist and gently tugged at it so he could look her in the eye. She hesitated, but obeyed the silent order anyways._

" _The only thing I'm disappointed in," Sephiroth spoke softly, gently. "is that you'd think I would be disappointed of you getting injured. I took you with me on a mission that should be way out of your league, hell, even the most competent Firsts would have plenty trouble out there."_

" _Really?" Valon whispered, and Sephiroth wondered how much of her blush was thanks to the fever._

" _Really." Sephiroth assured her. "Actually, I'm very proud of you. You did well, girl." he ruffled her hair affectionately and rose to grab his Restore materia, but she quickly grabbed him by the wrist._

" _Don't go," she begged. "Please, I-"_

" _I'm only going to heal your injuries." Sephiroth chuckled, a hint of amusement apparent in his voice. Her mouth formed a perfect 'O' and she released his wrist as swiftly as she had grabbed it. She averted her gaze in embarrassment._

 _Sephiroth grabbed his chest with support materia and rummaged through it, trying to find a Restore. When he did, he stalked back to the girl laying on his couch and grabbed the jacket that covered her. He tossed it to the side and put his hand on her hip. He pushed it a little, silently telling her to roll on her back. Again, she obeyed and he started to work on her injuries. Slowly but surely all the gashes and cuts dried and closed. They didn't seem too bad, none of the wounds were deep and although they did bleed, it were only a few drops. Still, he heard her gasp with relief. How much did her injuries actually hurt her?_

 _Foolish girl._

" _Hey, Seph?" she whispered again. He turned to look at her, and she flashed him an adorable smile, as if to thank him. Her cheeks were still red though, he noted. His Restore spell should have healed her fever, too. He bent over to feel her forehead again, but before he could do so, she grabbed his hand._

" _Smile for me?" she asked, then chuckled. "I like it when you smile." Only when he obeyed, she let go of his wrist. When he felt her warm skin, he shook his head again. Strange._

" _Hey, Seph?"_

" _Hmm?_

" _Kiss me?" she chuckled again. "I like it when you kiss me."_

 _Oh. Sephiroth snorted at the realization, her cheeks weren't red from fever. At all. He crawled over her to get into a more comfortable position, with one knee on the couch and his other foot on the ground, he hovered over her as he closed the distance. He decided to tease her a little, keeping his face only half an inch away from her, just barely out of her reach. Only when she scoffed impatiently he decided to close the gap. She deserved the reward, he mused._

 _The kiss started soft and sweet, only light pecks on her perfect soft lips. When she reached up and wrapped her hand around his neck, he lost patience. Trying to deepen the kiss, he licked her lips, begging for entrance she eagerly allowed. She dug her nails into his skin as he explored her mouth, a place he knew so well by now, and he couldn't resist a low grown himself when she bit his lip._

" _So eager," he chuckled as he broke the kiss. He shifted his position, placing his knees at the sides of her leg, then bent over to capture her lips again. His hands started to wander her body and he shuddered, every single curve was just so mesmerizing to him. His hands stopped wandering at her breasts and she moaned in is mouth when his thumbs brushed her covered nipples. In response, she lifted her leg and positioned it between his, the sudden friction against his groin earning her a sharp inhale from the General. Her hands made her way to his back and slipped underneath his shirt. Slowly, she trailed every muscle with her nails. A familiar feeling welled up in his body and when she moved her leg again, it didn't take much longer for his leather pants to become uncomfortably tight._

 _He decided the clothes had to go. He lifted himself from Valon and tugged at her shirt, no words needed. She pulled herself up and discarded the unwanted article, tossing it in a random direction. Sephiroth took a moment to just appreciate her gorgeous torso, taking in every inch of her porcelain skin. Some hard lines were starting to form on her stomach nicely, clearly showing how strong she was becoming. Despite the hard muscles, her impossibly wide hips were still gorgeous._

 _No, if you asked him, the hard muscles did nothing but enhance the beautiful curves._

 _She didn't give him enough time to appreciate all of her as she bent over and pulled at his own shirt. He lifted his arms to help her get the damn thing off and again, she tossed it in a random direction. He pushed her back down, and instead of kissing her on the lips, he chose a new target. Lowering his face to her neck, he started trailing featherlight kisses down the curve, earning some gasps in return. He hummed in amusement, the low rumble sending shivers down her spine. He continued his path and made another stop at her collarbones, gently nibbling on the sensitive flesh. Her hands found their way into his hair and she tugged at the locks._

" _You're so sensitive," he chuckled. She opened her mouth to retort, but he never gave her the chance as his thumb brushed over her nipple and his other hand started stroking her stomach only an inch above her jeans._

" _Fuck's sake, Seph," she groaned impatiently as he lowered his face even more, now hovering only an inch above her breast. He hummed in amusement, but decided to stop teasing. He sat up again, earning an annoyed groan from below him, but when his hands made their ways to her jeans, she inhaled sharply. He grinned as he opened her button and zipper and tugged at the pants to get them off. She lifted her hips upwards to help him, her still-raised leg brushing against his crotch again. He pressed his lips into a thin line, trying to restrain himself, as he took off her pants, throwing them on the pile of discarded shirts. He slid his fingers underneath the elastics of her panties, but she grabbed his wrists to stop him._

 _Confused, he turned to her. She sat up and gave him a sloppy kiss before she tugged at his pants. "You first." she grinned as he nodded, quickly taking off his own pants. She pulled his boxers down as soon as she had room to do so, and he couldn't stifle the gasp as his erection was given its much-needed freedom, the air somewhat cold against the sensitive skin._

 _Valon bent forwards to kiss him again and grabbed his member when he returned the kiss. Her fingers weren't fully wrapped around it, her hands simply too small, but she didn't seem to care as she started stroking it. When she reached the tip, she brushed her thumb over the slit, collecting some precum to lubricate him, gently picking up the pace until he had to break the kiss for the air he desperately needed. "Fuck, Val," he cursed as he felt the familiar, heated feeling gather in his groin. "I'm going to-"_

 _She released his erection and he groaned in displeasure, but quickly took it back when she lowered herself and wrapped her lips around his cock. She lowered her head, taking him as deep as she could. He tried desperately not to buck his hips upwards, letting the girl take full control. Before she lifted her head, she pressed her tongue to the underside of his member, trailing it with the wet muscle. In the corners of his eyes he started seeing stars, and as she looked up to meet his gaze, his cock still deep in her mouth, he decided there and then that it was the most erotic sight he'd ever seen._

 _When she moaned, the vibrations carried through his erection and he couldn't hold back anymore. Everything around him went white as he had the most intense orgasm he'd ever had. He threw his head back and bucked his hips up when he all but exploded, his breath ragged and his muscles spasming under the intensity of it all._

 _He was roughly shaken out of his ecstasy when he heard a muffled cough and she pulled away from his member as if it had burned her. She coughed louder, her hand covering her mouth as her eyes started to water. After a few more violent hacks, she held up her hand and stared in annoyance at the white substance._

" _Damn General, warn a girl next time."_

 _Sephiroth scratched his head and chuckled. He was about to apologize when she brought her hand to her lips and licked off the sticky drops, making a bored face as she did. He all but attacked her at the sight, pushing her down as she gave a surprised yelp. Before she could ask what he was doing, he captured her lips again, if possible even needier than before. She laughed in his mouth a little in amusement before returning the kiss, then laughed again when she felt his member growing hard again. She broke the kiss, much to his annoyance, and booped his nose._

" _So eager." she mimicked him. He ignored her joke and climbed down a little, his face again hovering above her breast. He didn't make her wait long as he took the perky nipple in his mouth, licking it eagerly as she again grabbed his hair. His hands found their way to her underwear again, but he didn't have much patience left as he ripped the cloth off of her body, groaning as she gasped. With his left hand, he traveled back up to her ignored breast and with his right, he slowly started tracing circles on the soft bump of flesh just above her most sensitive area, teasing her only a little longer before he lowered his hand._

 _He lifted his head and grinned. "So wet already." She glared at him through half-lidded eyes, but threw her head back as he massaged her clit with his thumb. With his middle finger he carefully entered her, but soon added a second finger. The girl was so excited she barely needed the time to get used to the intrusion. He couldn't help but keep his eyes locked on her face, her mouth open as she took ragged breaths and her eyes closed in pleasure. He earned himself another moan when he pushed in even deeper, prodding around a little until he found the spot he was looking for. Her body writhed underneath him as he hit the area again and again, all the while massaging her clit with his thumb and using his free hand to give her breasts the attention they deserved._

 _When her breaths became even more unsteady and seemingly lost control of her hips, he slipped out his fingers. She opened her eyes to glare at him as he got up from the couch. He took a few long strides to the cupboard, opened a box of condoms and grabbed one of the packs. He didn't bother to close the drawer again before stalking back to her and impatiently ripping the small pack open with his teeth. Within seconds, he shoved the thing around his renewed erection and crawled on top of her once more. He grabbed her thighs and forced them to spread even further, positioning himself as he got ready to enter her. He turned his gaze towards her again, waiting for her permission to continue. Her hazy, unfocused eyes locked his for only a fraction of a second before she nodded._

 _He didn't waste any time, grabbing his cock and guiding it inside her, penetrating her slowly, giving her time to adjust as he was fully engulfed. She frowned at the intrusion, her eyebrow twitching in discomfort._

" _Are you alright?" Sephiroth asked. He leaned forward, his elbows supporting his weight at her sides as his face hovered closely above hers. "Breathe, easy now." he whispered, giving her time to control her breathing and fully relax._

" _You're too big," she groaned, but she smiled a little as she moved her hips around, trying to find a more comfortable angle._

" _I'm okay," she said and he nodded as he slowly moved his hips backwards, sliding almost entirely out of her before pushing back in again. He repeated the agonizingly slow movement a few more times before she started responding, reluctantly moving her hips in his steady rhythm. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and placed a few reassuring kisses on the soft skin, only picking up the pace of his thrusts when she wrapped her arms around him and her breaths started quickening again._

 _He bit her neck and sucked at the flesh, bruising but not breaking the skin, and she moaned and gasped, losing control of her own body as she bucked her hips with each of his thrusts. He groaned when she suddenly contracted the muscles of her walls tightly and held her breath with a sharp inhale. He looked up at her, tilting his head to the side a little in a questioning manner._

" _I don't want to," she gasped, speaking suddenly seemed like the hardest thing in the world. "Not yet."_

 _Sephiroth chuckled and moved his face to her ear, grinning at how her entire body was trembling._

" _But dear, that's not your decision to make." he breathed against her ear, his voice only a low timbre. She shuddered in response to the order, relaxing her body again to obey. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he started thrusting again, harder and faster this time, and with each movement she moaned, her voice growing louder as he picked up the pace again. He lowered one hand, now supporting his weight on only one arm, and massaged the sensitive nub between her legs again._

" _Seph, I'm going to- Ah, fuck, Seph," she moaned. He chuckled against her ear and moved his face back to her neck and breathing heavily into it. He could feel himself nearing his own orgasm as well, the heat pooling in his groin again, and only after a few more thrusts, Valon cried out in her explosive orgasm, writhing and spasming underneath him as she came. Her orgasm sent him over the edge, with only a few more movements needed as he came._

 _They rode out their orgasms, Sephiroth moving inside of her for a few seconds longer before he collapsed on top of her, both breathing heavily. She wrapped her arms around his head, gently stroking his long silver locks as she kissed the top of it, humming happily into his hair._

* * *

AN: Oh man, writing this was the hardest thing I've ever done. Good gracious, how in the world do other writers do it? I was so flushed I accidentally spelled Seph's name like this: "Spoherit."

I wish I was kidding. I _actually_ spelled it like that. I even had to stop writing and just go to sleep to cool off about halfway through.

But yeah, that was the first sex scene I've ever written, _ever_. I'd really appreciate some feedback, because I really have no clue if I did well.


	14. XIV: March Back Home

**XIV: March Back Home**

In hindsight, Angeal probably shouldn't have brought Zack with him. He should have known the boy's reaction to the terrible destruction, the screams and cries that filled their ears and the still-smoking bodies. However, if this truly was a terrorist attack, he wouldn't dare leave him alone. He needed to keep his student close to protect him, but in the end, he was not able to do so. Perhaps it was simply impossible to protect someone from a situation like this, but even so Angeal felt like he had failed the younger man.

"Cloud!" Zack screamed, tears in his eyes as he tried to run towards the burning building. Angeal held him tightly, not letting him make a reckless dash straight into his possible death. "Angeal, let me go! Cloud!"

Angeal didn't obey nor respond and after a while the boy calmed down, if only a little. Enough for raven-haired First to let release his grip.

"Please, 'Geal, we have to find him, what if he's," Zack choked in his own words, no longer able to keep his sobbing under control. Angeal hugged him tightly and shook his head as his student clutched the older man's shirt tightly, freely crying into his broad chest.

The Commander scanned the crowd of people while rubbing Zack's back, looking for the mass of unruly, yellow spikes that was cadet Cloud Strife. Sadly, not even with his enhanced eyesight was he able to spot the golden crown through the smoke. The orange glow of the fire and the darkness of the night didn't help much in that regard.

Although he wasn't able to spot Zack's friend, his eyes did identify a tall, slender man wearing a long, red jacket, bellowing orders to anyone within hearing distance.

"Zack," he patted the boy on the back in a reassuring manner. "Let's go see Genesis, maybe he found Cloud."

Zack choked on another sob, an absolutely heartbreaking sound Angeal wished he'd never have to hear again, but nodded. The Commander put his hands on the younger man's shoulders and pressed a kiss on the top of his head, hoping the loving gesture would help the boy calm down.

He then guided Zack to Genesis, who was just standing there, eying the horrible scene with a hand in his red hair. The man looked more tired than Angeal had ever seen him. The redhead always carried an air of perfection with him, much like the General, and no matter what, he always looked flawless. Angeal had even doubted if it were even possible for Genesis to look anything _but_ flawless.

"Gen," Angeal called his co-Commander to attention and the redhead quickly turned to them when he recognized the deep voice.

"Thank Minerva," he sighed as he released his locks and dropped his arm to the side, obvious relief showing on his tired face when he saw the two raven-haired men approaching.

"Have you seen Cloud?" Angeal asked, but Genesis shook his head. "Not yet, he might still be inside."

Zack whined, and Genesis coughed, quick to change the subject. "How about Sephiroth?"

"Sephiroth is guarding the President and executives. I haven't heard from Valon though."

"I saw Val only moments ago, I believe she ran off to the east."

Angeal raised his eyebrows. "She ran off?"

Genesis nodded. He explained about the shrieks they heard before and how the Lieutenant had charged at the source without second thought, taking a swords squad with her.

Angeal cursed, but decided he had to trust the Lieutenant, she had taken on the job to keep the approaching threat at bay, and he knew she was more than capable of doing so. Which meant that he himself would switch focus to another pressing matter.

"Zack, we're going to help inside. Taking survivors out of the fire is our number one priority, do you understand?" he told his student, and the boy eagerly nodded. Although his eyes were still teary, he quickly turned professional. There was no time to worry or grieve, and Angeal couldn't help but feel a little bit proud of the younger man's resolve.

"I'm going to help the Materia squads, we need to extinguish the fire as soon as possible." Genesis told the two as he extended his hand. Angeal took it firmly, the gesture saying more than words.

"Good luck, you two."

Angeal nodded and Zack saluted. After a brief moment, the two took off, running towards the burning building with no hesitation. A few feet before the entrance, the Commander stopped and pulled up the collar of his turtleneck, covering his nose and mouth with the thick fabric. Zack copied his mentor. The cover made breathing uncomfortable, but it would at least protect them somewhat from the smoke. Angeal grabbed his student's cover and pulled it a little higher, just to be sure, and nodded in approval.

"Stay close to me, Pup." he ordered sternly. Only when the boy promised to do just that, did they enter the building. Zack gasped at the destruction but, despite his cover, that only resulted in him sucking in a deep breath of smoke which instantly threw him into a coughing fit. Angeal patted him on the back as he lifted his hand to draw another SOLDIER's attention. The SOLDIER came running towards them and saluted messily.

"Where are we needed?" Angeal asked the man, who pointed towards the back of the hall.

"Only the last few rooms in the sleeping halls, sir. The rest has been cleared out."

Angeal only nodded as he grabbed Zack, all but dragging the boy towards the end of the hall and up a flight of stairs. The further they went, the worse the destruction became evident, and when they neared the dormitory wing, there simply wasn't anything left. Everything was black and burning and smoking and turning to ash in the inferno.

Angeal pointed towards one of the many doors and made a jerking motion with his head, ordering Zack to take that room. Zack nodded and ran off. When he reached the door, he had to take a short moment to summon some courage. He was absolutely terrified of what he'd find behind that door. Images of the burnt bodies outside flashed through his mind and, in a horrifying way, it worked motivating.

The second he stepped inside of the building, it became his responsibility to prevent more boys to end up like that.

Nodding to himself one more time, he steadied himself on the ground and, with all the strength he could muster, kicked the door open. The sheer force shattered the hinges and the metal fell down with a loud crash. Immediately Zack felt the flames lick at his leg, trying to burn and consume him, and he was quick to draw back his leg. He raised his arm in front of his face protectively as he stepped inside, quickly scanning the room for a sign of life, but the smoke made it impossible to see far enough.

"Anybody in here?" he yelled, carefully taking a few steps inside. He was only barely able to stop himself from gasping, not wanting to fill his lungs with smoke again, when he saw the state the room was in. The bunk beds were knocked aside as if they weighed nothing, the walls were cracked and parts of the ceiling had collapsed.

Zack took a few more steps and bellowed his question again, looking around as he did.

"Zack?" he heard a small voice croak his name. He whirled around, trying to locate the source, but the damn smoke was just too thick to see clearly.

"Keep talking, I'm coming for you!" he screamed, and the voice repeated his name. The SOLDIER Second made his way through the room, each step taking him closer to the sound.

"Zack, I'm here," the boy coughed, only a few feet to his left. Zack all but yelled when he spotted him, a boy with a golden crown of hair that was slightly singed at the ends, and bright blue eyes staring up at him in a pleading way.

"Cloud!"

Zack knelt down besides his friend, groaning when he saw the position the boy was in. His legs and back were buried in rubble, presumably from the collapsed ceiling, and what looked like the remnants of a bunk bed. A thin stream of blood trickled down his face.

"Cloud, are you okay?"

The blond cadet nodded. "I think so, but-" he coughed roughly. "I'm stuck."

"Shit, okay, wait," Zack rambled as he wrapped his fingers around one of the larger pieces of rubble. With all of his strength, he pulled it off of the boy, who groaned a little as a great chunk of weight was lifted off of his sore body. Now that he had some freedom to move, he wiggled his body around a little, testing every limb and muscle and sighed in relief when he couldn't notice any broken bones. He'd be black an blue by sunrise though, but at least the future seemed to look brighter. Hell, at least he seemed to still _have_ a future. For a while he was sure he was going to die in the inferno, buried in the remnants of his bed. Not only would his death be a damn _nuisance_ , it'd be awfully degrading. Death by flaming bed, how embarrassing.

Zack had to hurry it up though, or else he'd probably die anyway through smoking inhalation. He coughed again, and Zack made an alarmed noise above him. "Just a little more, Spikey, hold on!" he yelled as he pulled away more of the rubble.

"Spikey?" Cloud grimaced. _Great_.

"Can you move?" Zack asked as he lifted the bed, the muscles in his strong arms flexed in the effort. Cloud tried to pull himself free and could barely stifle the laugh that threatened to escape his throat when he was able to shift his body and move somewhat freely.

With a grunt, Zack threw the bed against the wall and crouched down in front of Cloud again, panting lightly from the effort. He grabbed his wrists and pulled, helping the blond cadet to freedom. With a yelp, he fell backwards when Cloud was freed from the rubble, pulling the boy on top of him as he landed on his back with a loud _"oof"_.

* * *

In truth, it had only been a couple of minutes, but to Genesis it felt like hours had passed. As the last drops of all their water spells died down with the fire, all sounds seemed to die as well. No longer was the air filled with officers howling their orders, their ears no longer with grieving screams or pained shrieks. All that was left was darkness, the remnants of the thick smoke that filled their lungs, the horrendous smell of burnt flesh and silence. Genesis dropped his arms, now hanging uselessly at his sides. He loosened the death-grip he held on his Rapier and allowed himself to sigh in exhaustion. The last few survivors were dragged out of the building and the healers had patched up most of the injured cadets. His gaze traveled over the premises, analyzing the damage and trying to guess the amount of casualties.

He grimaced at the pang of guilt in his chest as he almost felt relieved. As far as he could tell, the losses weren't nearly as great as he had expected.

The men seemed to share his thoughts, one of them letting loose a roar of relief and only a fraction of a second later, more and more SOLDIERs joined the chorus. Some in relief, some just glad for it to be over, and all of them just letting out a primal response to be able to just _feel_ again. They were trained to be like machines on the field, no thoughts allowed as the rush made them give in to only instinct and muscle memory.

Despite the jubilation around him, or perhaps because of it, the Commander found himself almost franticly searching for his friends. He supposed he wanted to know they were alright, or maybe he needed someone to share his relief with. Either way, he needed to find them.

But before he was able to spot them, they had already found him. Two raven-haired men yelled his name, waving at him from a distance. Safely hidden behind Zack's back stood a small, blond cadet. All three bodies and faces were covered in black smudges and their expressions were equally tired, but otherwise they didn't seem injured. Genesis caught himself smiling back at the trio, taking the first step towards them, when a familiar voice choked out "Sir?" behind him.

The redhead bit back a groan as he turned.

"Yes?"

"Commander Rhapsodos, sir," the man, Raphael Blair, saluted him. Raphael was the commanding officer of the Commander's personal squad, the Red Leather, one of the four best and most elite squads in all of SOLDIER.

"At ease, Blair. What's wrong?"

"Lieutenant Harper requested assistance from a Materia squad, Sir. I took the liberty to question which squad was sent her way, but dispatch made a mistake and none was sent yet." the SOLDIER explained, making large movements with his hands as he did. "Since the situation here is under control now, I decided the Red Leather could accept the back-up request, sir."

 _Fucking dispatch_ , Genesis thought angrily. "Very well. But where is her own squad?"

Now that he thought about it, it did seem strange the Lieutenant had taken a random squad with her instead of her own.

"The Monochrome Valkyries are stationed in Kalm, sir." Raphael replied.

During their conversation, Angeal, Zack and Cloud had made their way towards the Red Commander, standing by his side as a familiar and welcome presence.

"I'll come with you." Angeal stated, leaving no room for discussion. When Genesis nodded, he turned to Zack.

"You stay here with Cloud." a commanding tone, again leaving no space to argue. He clapped on his student's shoulders firmly. "See if you two can still be of assistance somewhere."

Angeal decided he had put Zack through enough for the evening. If Valon needed back-up, the monsters were either too strong or with too many. Either way, it would be dangerous. It wasn't fair to make his student fight for his life after all that had happened.

And beside all that, he wouldn't dare separate the two friends when they had reunited only moments ago.

"Where's your squad?" Genesis asked after Zack and Cloud had walked off with simple salutes and bright smiles.

"Helping the healers transport the injured to the infirmary." Angeal asked, no intention to call them back. As far as the raven-haired Commander was concerned, his priorities lay with the wounded. That, and with two commanders and the Red Leather present, there would be nothing they couldn't handle.

Genesis seemed to read his thoughts and agreed. Without further question, he turned to Raphael again.

"Location?" he asked, and the man saluted again.

"A mile east of the premises, sir."

"Very well," Genesis repeated himself. He turned to Angeal, making sure his co-Commander was ready. When his friend dipped his head in a nod, the Red Commander raised his stretched hand, palm flat and facing forward, a signal to his squad to stand ready. With his arm still raised, he turned to the east and took the first few steps towards their destination. Then, he moved his hand back down and took a deep breath.

"Move out!"

On cue, the SOLDIERs launched themselves into a mad dash, running towards the given location as fast as they could. Valon had waited long enough, Genesis decided. He assumed the woman and her squad weren't overwhelmed by enemy forces yet, since not a single monster had seemed to passed them, but he dreaded what could possibly happen if they took their sweet time.

The platoon kept running, and only when they neared their destination did they hear a terrible, bone-rattling screech. Genesis immediately raised a clenched fist into the air, wordlessly ordering the squad to halt. He drew his sword and judging from the sounds of metal scraping behind him, the Red Leather followed his example.

Another scream, but it wasn't a monster this time. No, it was clearly human. One of Valon's squad?

Genesis bit back a grunt of surprise when Angeal lifted the huge Buster Sword from his back in response. The man _never_ used his beloved sword, unless it was absolutely necessary.

Another scream.

"Fuck," Genesis cursed. "Move!"

He roared his order and the group took off again, but they were barely able to start their dash when one of the beasts dared to show it's ugly face.

A huge, monstrous bird landed a few feet away from them. Before Genesis could respond, his co-Commander had already charged at it, swinging his huge weapon at it with all of his strength...

Only for it to bounce off the black body.

Angeal jumped backwards and out of reach before it could retaliate. Genesis grimaced, but quickly recovered his cool and stoic expression as his brilliant mind found a simple resolution. If swords didn't work, try magic.

And magic just so happened to be his strong suit. With some quick thinking, he realized that the birds were most likely the same as the one that had attacked Valon and Scarlet: Thunderbirds. Lightning-based creatures was the only logical conclusion, which meant...

"Water!" the Commander yelled as he stretched his arm, a violent wave appearing seemingly out of nowhere and crashing into the bird. Then, the water circled around the beast and it shrieked in terror as the spell caged around him like a bubble, filling its lungs and slowly drowning it. The bird tried to fight it, thrashing its wings around, but as the rest of the squad fired water spells as well, their waves crashing into it almost as violently as their Commander's, it slumped down and slowly dissipated into the green whisps of the Lifestream, finally dead.

Genesis didn't waste a second. As soon as the bird died, he commanded the platoon to keep moving. Running as quick as their legs could carry them, they finally reached their destination. The Red Commander counted seven dead birds and many bloodied SOLDIERs, but none of them seemed too badly injured. However, he couldn't find the Lieutenant.

"You!" he roared at one of the SOLDIERs. The man wasn't moving, just staring at the sky with his mouth in a thin line. Only when the Commander stood right in front of him, did he snap back to reality. He saluted, hands shaking slightly, and introduced himself to Genesis in a near-perfect textbook manner.

"Timothy Black, SOLDIER Second, commanding officer of Swords Two Theta, sir."

"Wasn't the Lieutenant with you?" he asked, not bothering to state the obvious and tell the man his own name and rank. Immediately, Timothy's eyes snapped to the sky again.

"She's up there, sir." his voice broke a little, but Genesis didn't notice as he turned his gaze skyward. His mouth fell open when he saw one of the monsters circling around like a vulture stalking it's prey. The tip of a black- and white sword was clearly visible, pierced from the back of its neck and through the throat. He gulped, what the hell was she doing up there?

"What's going on?" Angeal asked, sheathing his sword as he walked up to the two staring men. He followed their gaze and cursed when he saw what the other two were focused on. He opened his mouth to speak, but instead of words he let out a yell when the bird flipper over, turning it's back downward and a very bloodied Valon nearly falling to her death as a result. The only reason she could still hold on was her tight grip on her sword.

"We have to get her down," Angeal grunted.

"No shit," Genesis yelled, unable to peel his eyes off of the scene. What the hell were they supposed to do about that?

He didn't get enough time to think. The Lieutenant tried to swing herself upwards, but the sudden movement dislodged the sword from the monster's neck. Next to him, Timothy screamed. A couple of other SOLDIERs did the same, and Genesis almost screamed as well, but he subconsciously inhaled sharply and held his breath as the woman fell down.

He did roar when the bird turned its sharp beak towards the falling Lieutenant, dive-bombing towards her with intention to kill. After what felt like forever, the bird reached Valon, the beak piercing through her shoulder like it would through thin air. Then, it died, and the two flipped their position as the bird fell faster than Valon, and all the SOLDIERs could do was watch in horror as the two crashed into the ground and the Lieutenant slumped forward.

The men stood nailed to the ground for a moment, unable to move or walk or breathe or even _be._ Only looking at how a large pool of blood formed underneath the woman and small, green whisps rose up from the red.

Only a terrified scream snapped them out of it. "Valon!" Angeal roared, and he dashed towards her. Genesis followed suit and they crouched down beside her. The raven-haired Commander instantly pressed his fingers against her neck, cursing as he felt no pulse. He tried again, concentrating hard, but nothing. He dropped his hands on his lap, unable to grasp the situation, his eyes hazy and his mind a blur.

Genesis shook his head and grabbed her arm, casting all the healing spells he could. "Come on, please Val," he rasped as if his pleading would help his magic. He repeated her name over and over as he casted his spells, but the girl didn't open her eyes, didn't take a sharp breath to fill her empty lungs, didn't get her heartbeat back. She just lay there, covered in blood and cuts and bruises, eyes closed peacefully and a small smile on her lips.

Still, Genesis wouldn't give up. "Cure, come on! Life, life, _life_!" tears welled up in his eyes as he chocked on the last cast. "Please, live," he begged, but Angeal grabbed his co-Commander's hand and shook his head. "She's gone, Gen. She's dead."

Genesis screamed. He screamed at the top of his lungs, screamed his heart out, screamed in anger, until he couldn't scream anymore. He inhaled with a wheeze and slammed the ground with his fist.

"She can't be," he croaked. Angeal swallowed against the lump in his throat, fighting his own tears as he rose. He then patted Genesis on the shoulder.

"Let's bring her home."

Genesis nodded and rose. He drew his Rapier with one hand and with the other he grabbed the beak still impaling the Lieutenant. Then, only inches above the black- and white haired woman, he cut the beak clean off. He sheathed his sword again and watched as Angeal carefully lifted the body off of the bird and cradled her in his big, strong arms. Gently, careful, as if he was handling something precious, something fragile. He looked around for a moment to make sure there weren't any more birds lurking, nodding when there weren't. Then, he started the long trek back to the Shinra Headquarters in a slow pace, careful not to move too much, protecting the body he held in his arms so it wouldn't be disturbed. Genesis took his place beside his friend and the Soldier Two Theta squad followed them in a silent march.

No word was spoken during the seemingly endless walk back to the premises and when they finally arrived back at the Headquarters, even the grand mass of people fell silent. All eyes fell on the limp figure in the raven-haired Commander's arms, and the only thing that broke the silence were the sounds of their heavy boots on the ground. Others joined the silent march without second thought, and in a group that grew bigger and bigger, they made their way past the building that was no longer burning nor smoking, past the injured that were no longer groaning or screaming. They marched in silence up to the center of the premises where a tall figure with long, silver hair was having a conversation with three other men.

The four men turned towards the mass of people just as Angeal finally halted, the large group following suit. Then, the silence finally broke when Zack let loose a heart-wrenching scream, Cloud gasping in shock, Devon muttering a broken "No..." and Sephiroth's sword clattering as it hit the ground.


	15. XV: Familiar Warmth

**XV: Familiar Warmth**

" _Seph, where are we going?" Valon groaned, her stomach protesting at the harsh shaking of the vehicle._

" _We're going to Kalm." Sephiroth simply answered, obviously unaffected by the jostling, sitting with his arms and legs crossed in stoic perfection._

" _To Kalm?" Valon snorted. "You force a week of leave on me and you take me to Kalm?" she sat down next to him and crossed her arms. "Next year, I'll pick our holiday location."_

" _We're not going on a holiday. This is business."_

" _Are you kidding me? And here I thought we were going to Costa del Sol and drink fancy cocktails and go sunbathing on the beach and swimming in the ocean and-"_

" _I'm sure you did, however, I'm not really a beach person." the General replied, a bored look on his face. Valon moaned in disappointment._

" _And here I thought I'd get to see you in swimming trunks!" she wildly waved her arms around as she spoke. "Those tight ones, to compliment your awesome butt."_

 _Sephiroth raised a sculpted eyebrow. "You're kidding, right?"_

" _I'm dead serious." Valon protested. "But on second thought, your, err," she gestured towards her crotch. "wouldn't fit in those tight things, now would it?"_

" _Valon, can you stop-"_

" _Don't they make little pockets in the front to give General Junior some space, though?" she asked, a bewildered look on her face._

" _Captain Harper, that's quite enough of that." Sephiroth swatted her arm in a playful manner._

" _Man, you're a bore." she grinned. "Did Angeal rub off on you?"_

 _Sephiroth snorted. The raven-haired Commander_ did _have the tendency to act like he were her father._

 _Speaking of which..._

" _We're going to Kalm to meet your parents, actually." he stated. Immediately, the girl lost her playful composure. Her shoulders stiffened and she grimaced, her soft features twisting into hard lines._

" _Why?" she asked. Sephiroth was taken aback by the sudden change. He always thought the girl had a good relationship with her parents. She didn't speak of them often, but when she did, her words were filled with warmth and the love she held for them all but radiated off of her face._

" _Zachary told me about a tradition," he explained warily. "something about asking the father of the bride for permission to marry her." Valon perked up at the explanation, but didn't say anything. Sephiroth coughed and turned his face in embarrassment._

" _I thought you'd like that." he scratched his head. She had made such a big deal about the knee-thing, he figured she'd wanted everything done according to tradition. He never expected the girl would react like this._

 _After a long and uncomfortable silence, Valon stood and patted him on the head before wrapping her arms around him. She pulled his face into her chest in a hug and stroked his hair gently._

" _Yeah, I'd like that. Thank you."_

 _A couple of hours later, the truck pulled up in front of the city gates and the two stepped out. Valon grinned as she saw the town, it had been a couple of years since she'd been back. She never realized how much she missed her hometown._

" _Come," she coaxed him, taking the first few steps towards the gate. He followed her through the gates and into the town, where she walked towards the center of the plaza and turned around with a bright smile. All around them, people stared. Sephiroth, who was quite used to the stares, tried his best to ignore them all, until a small voice yelped in surprise._

" _Val? Is that you?"_

 _Valon instantly whirled around at the voice. A young girl stepped out of the gathering crowd, smiling happily at Valon. She was holding a chocobo plush almost as tall as her, clutching it tightly with her small hands._

" _Allie?"_

 _The girl, no older than six years old, ran up to the Captain and all but jumped into her arms, dropping the stuffed animal to the ground as she did. Valon caught the girl and hugged her tightly, burying her face in the girl's long, brown hair._

" _Your hair looks so cool!" the child named Allie giggled, tugging at a white strand playfully._

" _You've grown a lot, sweetie." Valon laughed. She positioned the girl to her hips and held her with one arm. She walked over to Sephiroth, who was staring at the reunion with a hint of a grin on his stoic face, and pointed to the girl._

" _This is Allison," he introduced the girl. "She's Devon's little sister."_

 _Allie waved at the General with a big grin, and he couldn't help but think the child was pretty cute. Children usually ran away from him or hid behind their mother's skirts, but this one didn't seem to think of him as scary which was a welcome change._

" _You have to salute him, sweetie." Valon laughed. "He's the General!"_

" _Woow!" Allie yelled gleefully before raising her arm to her head and giving him an adorable salute. The General saluted back, throwing the two girls into a fit of giggles._

" _Valon Harper, welcome home dear." a voice behind them greeted her. They turned and Allie squealed at the woman._

" _Mommy, Val is friends with General Sevilof!" she yelled, completely awe-struck. Sephiroth snorted in humour at how the child had pronounced his name. Sevilof?_

" _Now now, Allie." the woman smiled as she picked up the stuffed chocobo laying abandoned on the pavement. Valon walked up to the woman and hugged her tight, but careful not to crush the child._

" _I've missed you!" Valon greeted her._

" _We missed you too, dear." the woman grinned. "Now, won't you introduce us?"_

 _Valon laughed and turned to the General. "Seph, I'd like you to meet Caroline Summer, Devon's mother." She turned to Caroline. "Caro, this is General Sephiroth."_

 _After the introduction, she handed Allie back to Caroline and took her place next to the General again._

" _We'll come visit you later," the Captain stated. "We have some business to attend to, first."_

" _Come by for dinner, okay? You're always welcome in our home, dear." Caroline turned to Sephiroth. "You too, sir. Always welcome!"_

 _Valon accepted the offer and quickly walked away from the crowd of people, Sephiroth following her closely._

" _What a lovely bunch," he commented when they were out of earshot. "You seemed close to them."_

 _Valon hummed happily._

" _They're like family. Speaking of which..." she stated, but didn't elaborate. Instead, she turned a corner and walked further and further away from the plaza. Sephiroth assumed she was taking him towards her home, but when they reached the end of town he cleared his throat in question._

 _Valon turned and grabbed his hand. "Come, we're almost there." she said, and without another word she turned one more corner, dragging the General along with her, and halted in front of a large gate._

 _Sephiroth felt his stomach drop when he read the sign above the gate._

 _ **Kalm Cemetery**_

* * *

Valon groaned as her body screamed in pain, at how her lungs were begging for air or how her eyes were fighting to open. She tried to move, but her limbs were frozen. She remembered her fight with the Thunderbird, how they crashed to the ground, how she felt her bones shatter and then, finally, the sweet embrace of death.

She never thought she'd look forward to dying, but the second she felt her life slip away, there was a relief she never imagined she could feel. It had probably hurt too much, although she couldn't quite remember the feeling. Not that she had to, because if it felt anything like this...

She had always assumed there was no pain in the Lifestream, no need for air, not even the painful memories of past events. She imagined the Lifestream to be warm and green and bright and peaceful, but she was proven wrong as her body was screaming all over.

Apparently, even a soul has bones that could break, blood that could flow freely out of deep wounds and nerves that could feel how much it all _hurt_.

So she just lay there, struggling to open her mouth and just breathe in while her lungs burnt and screamed. Suddenly, a warm hand touched her cheek and she tried to shake it away, but she couldn't make her body obey.

"Calm down, here," a voice as warm as the hand assured her, the hand carefully peeling her lips apart. She hadn't even noticed how tightly she had clenched her jaw, but when her mouth was forcefully parted by the warm presence she inhaled with a loud wheeze, coughing as her lungs tried to adjust themselves to the air again. She groaned again as her coughing disturbed her broken ribs.

"Oh dear, she looks terrible." another voice, female this time, but just as warm as the male's. A pang of grief struck her. She knew these voices, but she couldn't quite place it.

"Yeah." the male voice answered. "Such a terrible death. Poor thing."

The female voice hummed in agreement. "We should patch her up, don't you think?"

"I'm afraid we shouldn't do that." the male voice answered, the warm hand cupping her face again. His thumb stroked her cheek in a loving action, a familiar warmth welling up inside of her. With all of the strength she had left, she forced her eyes open.

She wished she didn't. Before she knew it, tears rolled down her cheeks and breathing became a struggle once more. She gasped for air through her sobs and tried to raise her hand, tried to feel the man's face because it just _couldn't_ be real, but she had no strength left to do so.

The man chuckled as he wiped the tears off her cheeks and the woman took a seat next to him, gently stroking her arm.

"You've done great, my baby." she said as she held her hand tightly.

Valon fought to find her voice again, she had to say something, anything, and finally she forced out one simple question.

"Mom?"

The woman nodded and smiled brightly.

"So," Valon licked her lips, still trying to find her breath. "So, I really am dead?"

Her father laughed, but it was without humour. "Not exactly."

"Only for now, but you'll have to go back." her mother explained as she pulled her thick, black hair back into a ponytail. Only now did Valon see just how much she looked like her, like her mother.

"What?" Valon croaked. So she _was_ dead, but only for a moment? How was that possible?

"We only came here to see you before you had to go." her father confessed. "It's selfish of us, but we've missed you. We just had to see you."

She locked her gaze with his bright blue eyes and it was like looking into a mirror, the azure the exact same shade as her own. Well, before her enhancements, anyways.

"Can't I stay with you?" tears welled up in her eyes again. She'd forever lay there in torturous pain, bleeding and crying, if it meant she could keep her parents by her side. How long had it been since they died? Twelve years?

"Please, let me stay, I can't-" her voice broke. "Please..."

"I'm sorry, my baby." her mother said, bending over to pet her daughter's black- and white hair. "But there are people waiting for you. You shouldn't let them wait."

"But-" Valon tried to protest, but her father interrupted her.

"The man with the silver hair, Sephiroth was his name?" he grinned mischievously. "If he ever hurts my princess I'll come back to life and kick his ass, alright?"

"Pa, don't-" she choked, her sobs interrupting her, but she took a deep breath and smiled weakly. "Your jokes are the worst."

The man chuckled and shrugged, a lopsided grin still gracing his handsome features. He bent over and placed a kiss on the top of her head, then pulled back and rose to his feet.

"We'll always watch over you, you know that, right?" he asked, serious again. Her mother repeated her husband's actions, kissing her on the top of her head and taking her place next to him.

"Promise me," Valon sobbed. She wasn't ready to say goodbye to them, not again. Never again. "Please," She couldn't quite force out the question, but her father knew what she tried to say as he nodded solemnly.

"We'll be right here waiting for you." There was something about the way he said it that didn't seem sincere. A lie to make her feel better, perhaps?

"You have to go home now, baby." her mother said, smiling sadly as she grabbed her husband's arm. "We love you so much, never forget that, okay?"

"We're couldn't be more proud of you." her father added. Slowly, her vision started blurring again, her body turning light as if she were flying, and all she could do was watch and cry as her parents faded away into nothing before her vision went black again.

She didn't notice her mother's broken voice muttering "farewell" before she was gone.

* * *

Sephiroth involuntarily took a few steps forward, mouth agape in disbelief. His stoic mask shattered the second he saw the limp, bloodied body in the protective arms of his friend. He didn't even notice when he dropped his sword and he couldn't remember running over to Angeal, who looked at him in an expression he didn't quite understand.

Wordlessly he reached out, trying to touch the body that looked so much like Valon, but not exactly the same. A lifeless mannequin, a beaten and bloodied copy of the woman, but not her. It couldn't be her. It just _couldn't_.

When his fingers touched her skin, he quickly pulled back as if it burnt him. Even through his leather gloves he could feel the cold radiating off her body.

His legs gave out underneath him and he dropped to his knees, unable to find his voice Even when Angeal knelt before him and handed him the body, he didn't know what to say. He cradled the woman, confused and unbelieving.

He hugged her tightly, supporting her head with his large hand and looked up at Angeal in a pleading way, but the man only shook his head.

Finally, he found his voice again. "How?" his voice broke, the lump in his throat threatening to suffocate him. He looked at his raven-haired friend again, then switched his gaze to Genesis, but no answer came.

He looked at the woman again, her eyes closed peacefully and her lips twisted upwards a little. Dozens, maybe even hundreds of cuts covered her body, but most of them appeared to be mostly healed, the Mako doing its work even in death.

A loud yell snapped him out of his grief, if only for a moment. A man with a hunched back and a white coat ran towards them and dropped to his knees next to the General, arms shaking as he tried to lift them.

Sephiroth's grief then turned to anger when his mind reminded him of who the man was, and his anger turned into a burning rage when the professor dared to touch the girl he held so tightly in his arms. He twisted his body to create some more distance between Hojo and her.

"Don't touch her!" he snapped, an inferno welling up inside of him. How dare he to try and touch her, to defile her with his presence, to befoul her with his closeness. How _dare_ he.

Hojo ignored him as he shuffled closer on his knees. "She can't be," he croaked, raising his shaking arms, trying to reach her again. Sephiroth tried to stand, but he lost control over his legs. The professor tried to grab the limp wrist, trying to find a heartbeat or any other sign of life, but he never got the chance.

As soon as his fingertips brushed her skin, he screamed in pain. All around them, people yelled at the sight. The seemingly dead Lieutenant launched herself off of the General, knocking him back with the sheer force of her action, and tackled Hojo. Her blue and red eyes glowing brighter than ever, she reached inside of his lab coat and took his gun. Then, she rose and aimed her gun at the professor, who cowered and whimpered and begged for her not to shoot.

"Valon!" Angeal screamed, but the girl didn't respond. Her eyes were void of any emotion and the world around her didn't seem to matter to her. Hell, it didn't even seem to _exist_ around her. She cocked the gun and put her finger on the trigger, ready to fire, when two strong arms wrapped around her. She blinked at the familiar contact and looked around her with an expression like a deer caught in headlights. Her gaze lingered on the professor on the ground and then snapped to the gun in her hand.

"What-" she breathed, but before she could complete her sentence, her eyes rolled back in their sockets. She whimpered when her brain registered the horrible pain surging through her body and then she lost consciousness. The gun dropped from her hand as she slumped backwards, falling limp against Sephiroth's broad chest.

* * *

AN: Cue the "Whaaat?".

Sorry for the feels, though. I actually keep making myself sad with these chapters *sniffles*.

Anyways, I hope y'all enjoyed and I will see you guys next chapter!


	16. XVI: The Legends of a Long-Dead Race

AN: Warning: pseudo-hacking. I really should stick to what I know or at least do some proper research, but man that's just a pain. I did ask my friend for some information, so hope it's all believable enough haha. (By the way, Devon is based on that friend! Fun facts, yay!)

Now, without further ado, enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **XVI: The Legends of a Long-Dead Race**

"Why is she still here?" a familiar voice, a low and angry rumble, rang through the room.

"Because I'm overseeing her healing, as I've told you many times before." another male, this one's voice was rough and high-pitched, a cackle. _Repugnant_.

"That's what the infirmary is for." the first voice again.

"I won't have this discussion with you, General."

 _General? Sephiroth?_

"This is unacceptable." the first voice hissed. Moments later, the sound of heavy boots on a tiled floor echoed through the room. Then, a door slamming shut.

A sigh, a shuffling walk, another cackle.

"Such a pain."

A hand on her skin, a needle in her veins. Cold metal around her wrists. _Unpleasant_.

But not painful. Not anymore. She had been in pain, right? Yes, she had been. So much pain. _Unbearable_.

Slowly, she forced her eyes open, only to close them again. _Too bright_.

Another needle, a warmth surging through her body, a familiar feeling. Mako.

She groaned and the hand pulled away. She tugged at the cuffs around her wrists but to no avail.

"Are you awake, child?"

What a terrible voice. She wanted to open her eyes to see who it was, but she fought the impulse. The light was just too damn bright.

"Open your eyes." the voice commanded. She shook her head weakly, but the man put his hands on her eyelids and forced them open. She hissed against the light, but her eyes quickly adjusted. White speckles blocked her vision, but it didn't hurt. She looked at the man's face and felt herself shiver when she recognized him.

"Professor?" she groaned.

"Good, good." Hojo grinned.

"What happened?"

"You died, girl."

What? She died? She couldn't remember. Wouldn't you remember your own death? Was this the Lifestream, then? But why was she chained? And why was Hojo here?

 _A terrorist attack, a terrible inferno_. That's right.

"How did you die, sir?" her stomach turned. Had Sephiroth failed to protect them? That voice from before, that was Sephiroth. Did Sephiroth die, too? If so, who else was dead?

Hojo only laughed at her question.

"Sir?" she coaxed him, but the professor ignored her for a moment to pull a needle out of her vein.

"I'm not dead. Neither are you."

 _Cryptic_. What did he mean? She tried to remember, picking at every memory she could find, trying to analyze and illustrate but it just didn't come to her.

Another needle.

"You were brought back from the dead."

What?

"Here, this will wake you up some more."

More Mako. She groaned, but her head started to clear and her eyesight slowly became sharper. She took a deep breath and nodded to herself.

"But sir?" she asked, now finally starting to really wake up. "Why am I chained?"

"When you reanimated, you attacked me." Hojo responded. He dragged his chair next to the table she lay on and took a seat. He crossed his arms and legs and looked at her with mild amusement.

"I didn't know how you would act after waking up again, and I'd rather not be riddled with bullets. So I chained you to the table."

"Oh," Valon frowned. Why had she attacked the professor? And how was she reanimated? Nothing made sense.

"How am I still alive?" she figured she'd best start at the beginning. Hojo pointed at the now empty syringe.

"Let me explain how the SOLDIER enhancements work." he stated, crossing his arms again. "As you know, SOLDIERs are injected with Mako, this is what gives them their strength, right?"

Valon nodded.

"The Mako you receive isn't just Mako. It has another component. You see, many years ago, humans weren't the only race to live on the Planet. No, there was another. These people had a strong bond with the Planet, so much in fact that they could communicate with it. This race is long dead, or so we thought, until we stumbled upon the last of it's kind years ago."

We ran tests on the specimen and did research on this race. We discovered an ancient tale of a land of supreme happiness, the Promised Land. However, as legend foretold, only this ancient race could find the way to the Promised Land, and thus we took to recreating the race, using the cells of the last of its kind. This is how SOLDIER was born."

Valon still didn't understand. Promised Land? A long-dead race? Besides the obvious SOLDIER enhancements, what did this have to do anything with her? Were those cells the reason she was still alive? But that couldn't be, SOLDIERs died like any normal human, didn't they? Then how?

"Thanks to you, we're one step closer to finding this Promised Land." Hojo explained.

"Me?"

"You see, before you came around, our only successful SOLDIERs were of the male sex. We never truly understood why the female sex couldn't handle the treatments, but thanks to you, I have quite a few theories. But," he rose and uncuffed her. "I will discuss those theories with you at a later time. For now, I've said quite enough."

Valon had a hard time processing this new information. The idea that they weren't just pumping Mako in their veins but actual cells from a living being was sickening, and the professor actually believing in legends and tales was shocking. She'd always thought the man too rational, too clever to believe in fairy tales.

However, she wasn't about to think this all through in the labs of all places. She hated the labs with a fiery passion and couldn't wait to get out of there.

"Professor?"

"Yes?"

"Am I excused?"

The professor rubbed his chin in thought, but he really couldn't think of any reason to keep her there. Besides, he had other things to attend to.

"Very well. Come back to me later this evening and don't work. You need rest." he said, and he grabbed a form from one of his many binders. He scribbled something on the paper and signed it, then handed it to her. "A week of forced medical leave." he explained. She grimaced but signed it either way, if all the professor said was true, she truly did need to rest.

She couldn't help but feel how ridiculous his tales were, though. Returning from the dead? The Promised Land? Bullshit. However, she wasn't about to discuss this with the professor. No, she just wanted to leave the labs as soon as possible and figure all of this out. Now that she had a week of leave, she had plenty of time to dig up some information, and she knew just the person to turn to when secrets needed to be uncovered.

* * *

Devon flipped the heavy table and it hit the ground with a loud crash. The man that was cuffed to the chair gasped in fear, but otherwise he didn't budge. The Turk grabbed the man's collar roughly and spat in his face.

"Why did you attack the Shinra building, you Wutaian cunt?"

The terrorist only spat back. Devon punched him in the face and scoffed as he felt the man's nose break under his knuckles. The man whimpered in pain, but quickly twisted his face back in a defiant expression.

"There's plenty more bones in your body I can break." Devon grumbled as he wiped the spit off his face with the back of his hand.

The terrorist scoffed. "You want to know why?"

"You're as deaf as you are ugly." the Turk laughed without humour. "Let's hear it then."

The man grinned, his teeth red from the blood that was seeping from his broken nose.

"Because all of you Shinra fucks deserve to die," he spat some blood on the ground. "Disrespect Wutai and feel the wrath of the people. This was only the beginning."

"You cunts are eager for war, then?" the Turk frowned.

"War it is." the man laughed, but was quickly silenced when Devon kicked him square in the chest. He slumped over in his seat, unconscious, and Devon walked out of the interrogation rooms without another word. He flipped his PHS open and sent a quick message to Sephiroth and Tseng. They'd get to see the tapes of the interrogation soon enough, but this was too pressing a matter to wait.

 **Terrorist confessed, speaks of war and possible future attacks. Watch tapes ASAP.**

With a sigh, he put his phone back in his pocket and took the elevator back to the Turk floor and took a few long strides past the cubicles where other Turks were working, took a left in the hallway and opened the door to his personal office where he abruptly halted.

"Good morning! Or is it afternoon? I'm not sure, actually. I don't even know what day it is!" the woman laughed and waved at him. "Anyways, hey Dev!"

Devon could only stare. Only a few days prior, the girl was dead, and now she was lay sprawled on the small couch in his office, casually smoking a cigarette like nothing had happened. Hell, besides the dark circles under her eyes, she even _looked_ like nothing happened. He released the breath he didn't realize he was holding, took a few long strides towards his best friend and wrapped his arms around her before she could blink. He was careful not to crush her, as he didn't know if her bones were fully healed, but she just giggled in his chest and gently pushed him off of her.

"Geez, so much love." she joked.

"Shiva's tits, Valon." he cursed, unable to find the words he wanted to say.

"You look like you've seen a ghost. It doesn't suit you, so stop gawking. Now, chop chop, to your computer, I have work for you." she gestured towards the large screens on his desk. Baffled, Devon obeyed the order and booted up his computer.

"How are you feeling?" he asked while the machine was starting up.

"Tired, mostly." she scratched her head with a lopsided grin. "But really, I'm fine. My memories are a bit fuzzy though, but I guess that's to be expected."

Devon snorted. "You really had us worried, you know?"

He shook his head when the woman only shrugged. He supposed he shouldn't push her. Actually dying and being brought back to life must have been an extremely traumatic experience for her. He desperately wanted to talk about it, but only when she was ready.

That decision made, he turned to his screen. "What did you want me to do?"

"Keep this between us, okay?"

"Off the records, then. Sure thing."

"Thanks, Dev." she smiled. "Hojo told me about some ancient race, I want you to look into it."

"Did the race have a name?"

"He didn't tell me. However, he did say there was only one left, and he uses the cells of that last one in the Mako injections he gives SOLDIERs."

"Gross." Devon made a face, suddenly no longer envious of the enhancements the SOLDIERs received.

"I know," Valon agreed with a grimace. "But I really need to know more about it."

"You do realize you just asked me to hack into Hojo's personal files, right? _No way_ that info is stored anywhere else but in his personal files."

"I know, but it's important." Valon insisted.

"Why is it so important to you?"

"Because he told me about it when I asked him how I-" she shook her head, she couldn't really say it out loud yet. "Anyways, he only told me about the Mako and the last of their kind. I want to know what it has to do with me."

"Okay, but if he catches me in the act and turns me into one of his specimen for punishment, I'm _so_ taking you down with me."

Valon laughed and nodded, and Devon got to work. He first had to figure out how tight Hojo's security was, but he didn't want to stay inside the professor's computer for too long, either. The longer he's take, the greater the chance of getting caught, so he mentally gave himself a time limit. He drummed on his desk for a few seconds in thought and nodded to himself.

Getting into Hojo's computer wasn't hard. No, getting into his files proved to be problematic.

"Bastard's got multiple passwords on every single folder," he groaned. Not only that, but there were many types of different locks on the documents, too. He typed in a code and hoped it would do the trick. He whelped in surprise when it actually did work.

"So far, so good." he whispered to himself as he looked through the different folders using a couple of different keywords. When nothing came up, he raked his hand through his hair and closed his eyes in thought.

"Nothing on ancient races," he grumbled to himself. "Maybe the recipe..."

The new keyword was Mako. That seemed to work, a little too well perhaps, as literally thousands of files popped up. He skimmed through the folders, but nothing caught his eye. He was surprised to see how organized the files were, every project had it's own name and every folder was labeled. He never expected the professor to be this tidy.

"Wait, what's this?"

He glared at his screen, one folder didn't have a project name or number. It simply said "J".

He knew this was what he was looking for when he carefully checked the security around the file.

"What the hell?"

"Is everything alright? What's going on?" Valon asked nervously. Devon kept glaring at his screen, mumbling something she didn't quite understand. The Lieutenant rose and took to standing next to the Turk to see what he was doing, but the sight on his screen dizzied her. Multiple windows popped up and down and scrolled through the screen and all she could do was stare in confusion as the Turk did his work. How did he even understand _anything_ that was going on?

She grinned in newfound respect for the Turks. Cutting up monsters with a sword was way easier than this. She shook her head and sat back down on the couch, deciding to leave Devon at it. Her looking over his shoulder couldn't be helpful in any way, so she just stared at him in anticipation.

"Ah, there we go." Devon clicked on the file, his brown eyes dashing back and forth as he skimmed through the pages.

"And?" Valon impatiently asked.

"All I'm getting is the project name," he said, still reading the documents. "Project J."

"Can you find more information on this project?"

"I'll try, but I'm running out of time."

Valon groaned, nervously fumbling with her ring. The light from the Turk's screen constantly blinked, indicating how fast he was skimming through different documents.

"C'mon, Project J. Project J." he grumbled, and finally he found a document that seemed worthwhile.

"Project J, short for Project J.E.N.O.V.A.," he read out loud. "The Last Cetra, currently located in Nibelheim-"

"Did you say Jenova?" Valon interrupted him, jumping from the couch with a bewildered look on her face. Devon didn't recognize the name, but judging from the Lieutenant's reaction, it couldn't be good news.

She tangled her hands in her hair and paced back and forth a few times, her mouth forming words but no sound coming out. Then, she bit her thumbnail as her brows furrowed.

"What?" Devon asked curiously, scoffing as he noticed he ran out of time. He quickly closed all the files and erased any evidence of his snooping around. He turned his attention to Valon again. "What is it?"

"Jenova," she sat back in the couch and clutched her head again. "Jenova is Sephiroth's mother."

" _What_?" Devon hissed sharply.

"Don't tell him, please." Valon pleaded, and Devon nodded. "We have to figure this out, Dev. We have to go find her."

Devon considered it, but with the Wutaian threats they really shouldn't leave base. Besides that, they'd never be granted permission to leave for Nibelheim without good reason. They couldn't exactly state that they knew about how Hojo held Sephiroth's mother hostage in the mountains and demand leave for a rescue mission.

"What do you propose?" he asked warily.

"I have a forced week of leave, I can do whatever I want to do." she stated, looking up at him defiantly.

"I'm not going to let you go alone." he sighed. "I'll bully Tseng into giving me a week of leave as well, then."

Valon jumped up and lunged at him, hugging him tightly before pressing a kiss on his cheek. He scratched his head and sighed, what had he gotten himself in to?

"To Nibelheim!" Valon roared as she turned to leave the Turk's office. She abruptly halted in front of the door, her hand hovering over the knob she just tried to grab.

"Err, Dev?"

"What?"

"You don't happen to know where my sword is, do you?"

* * *

AN: And the plot thickens! Thanks for reading and I'll see y'all next chapter!


	17. XVII: Companionship

**XVII: Companionship**

One of the perks of being a Turk was having the keys for every single vehicle owned by Shinra. One of the perks of being the Second-in-Command of the Turk Leader was never having to justify _why_ you took one of said vehicles. Devon cackled in a somewhat mad way as he took off with the helicopter, Valon grinning mischievously next to him.

"You sure you didn't want to say goodbye to the others?" the Turk asked while lighting a cigarette. He took a deep drag and offered her the pack, which she gratefully accepted. She also lit one and slouched back into a comfortable position before shaking her head.

"Nah," she snorted. "They'd never let me go."

"Hmm, wonder if Sephiroth would tie you to the bed."

"We actually did that once," Valon laughed at the memory. "Turns out, ropes aren't strong enough to keep a SOLDIER First Class tied."

Devon had just taken a drag when she said that, and he nearly choked in the smoke. "Damn," he barked. Valon patted him on the back a couple of times while the Turk caught his breath.

"Never would've thought the General had his kinks." Devon barked, wiping a tear of mirth from his cheek. The image was absolutely ridiculous. "And I never would've thought a control freak like you would let that happen."

"Oh, I think I wasn't clear." Valon held her hand in front of her mouth to hide her grin. "You see, it wasn't me that got tied to the bed."

Devon snapped his gaze to his friend, jaw hitting the floor and cigarette comically falling out of his mouth. "No," he groaned in disbelief. "No way. There's no way I believe you. No." not blinking once, he shook his head. "No." he repeated.

Valon chuckled and swatted his arm in a playful manner before scratching her head with a lopsided grin. Sephiroth would kill her if he knew she had told Devon about their bedroom adventures. No, she mused, he'd most likely kill the Turk for having the knowledge instead.

Then again, he should have expected it, Valon mused. She told her Turk friend everything, as he told her everything.

"Anyways, enough about me," she took another drag of her cigarette. "How about you? Any cute Turks you've got your eyes on?"

Devon, still not entirely over the shock -and still seeing a naked, tied-up Sephiroth in his mind's eye-, shook his head. "I have one piece of advice for ya girl," he looked at her sternly. "No matter who or what, don't ever, not in a million years date a Turk."

"Why not? I mean, yeah he's a little bland, but Tseng would make a fine man, don't you think?" Valon grinned, dismissing his advice with a wave of her hand. _Again_. Devon didn't notice, however, as he could only laugh at the absurdity of her statement. Tseng, really now?

"What," the Lieutenant grinned. "He's loyal, a gentleman and really, he is kind of cute."

Devon barked another laugh. Did she just really call Tseng cute?

"I'd rather marry a million crazy Sephiroth clones than have one date with Tseng," he stated, suddenly remembering his dropped cigarette. He bent over and ignored Valon's yell of surprise as the helicopter tilted. He grabbed his still-lit cigarette and got back up, quickly stabilizing the vehicle.

"Anyways," he said as he took a drag. "Tseng is my partner and a damned good Turk, a loyal friend and yes, I will admit, doesn't look too bad either, but I meant what I said." he shrugged.

Valon mumbled something about him needing to "get some" and curled up in her seat after dumping the butt of her cigarette in an empty soda can. She sighed as she rested her head against the window and closed her eyes tiredly. "Besides, Sephiroth is mine, you know. Which means his million crazy clones are off-limits for your greedy paws, too."

Devon laughed, but it was without humour. He let his mind wander to when he helped Valon to get in the SOLDIER program. He had left home two years before that, and through a series of unexpected events he found himself as a Turk, and not just a Turk, but partner of the Turk leader, Tseng. He had gone home for a few days of leave when Valon had all but forced him to help her get inside.

Everything had happened so fast from there, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride when he saw how far she had come. It had only been a couple of years since she joined SOLDIER, and now she was the Second-in-Command of the greatest warrior to have ever lived, or so they said.

And not only was she his Second-in-Command, she was also going to marry the silver-haired man. He smiled softly, clearly remembering the commotion she had caused when professor Hojo had wanted the two to _breed_ , as the madman called it. Valon seemed appalled by the idea, although Devon never really understood why. The General, behind his stoic expression and terrifying, cold gaze, was an absolutely gorgeous man. People literally threw themselves at his perfectly polished boots, even some of the Turks had more than once entertained each other with stories about what they would want to do to and with the General if they ever had the chance. No, if you asked Devon, it appeared as if every human alive would kill for a chance to even touch the General, let alone sleep with the man. He had to admit that even he, before his best friend became engaged with the man, had had some dirty thoughts about Sephiroth. Yet Valon hadn't even considered it, reacting as if Hojo had asked her to breed with a Gremlin instead.

He wondered why she had reacted that way. Even more, he wondered what had changed since then.

"Hey, Val?" he asked, glancing to his right to check if she was still awake. She didn't open her eyes but grunted to let him know she was listening.

"Do you love Sephiroth?"

At that she did open her eyes, albeit groggily and shifted her body to an upright position. She scratched her jaw in thought.

"Yeah," she nodded after a moment of silence. "I think I do. I mean," she raked her fingers through her hair, trying to find the right words.

"It's like, sure, he's brilliant, terrifyingly so, and extremely powerful, but he has the social skills of a Touch Me, the patience of an infant and Dragons show more emotion than he does, but he's learning." she explained, although Devon really didn't get where she was going. The girl really couldn't explain things well, he mused with a grin.

"At first I really looked up to him, all I saw was this brilliant warrior, this stunning man who appeared to have stepped out of the heavens to guide us all, the typical hero-worship, you know? I really didn't feel worthy of being in his presence, let alone, well, the obvious things. Now that I know him better, I know he's kind of a broken being, having grown up in the labs and having Hojo as his father and all that, and, well..." she laughed at her own rambling. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, yeah, now that I've gotten to know Sephiroth, not the General, but the actual man with all his quirks and flaws, I do think I love him. He's so different from what people think he is, but in a good way."

She grinned as she took her previous resting position against the window. "And I guess it helps that he has a huge-"

"Shiva's tits, Valon!" Devon shouted in amusement. "You thirsty woman."

Valon laughed loudly as she shook her head. "I was talking about his sword!"

Devon snorted. "His _sword_ , of course." the Turk decided that the testosterone of the hundreds of SOLDIERs that surrounded the Lieutenant were a terrible influence on her. What ever had happened to the sweet and innocent girl he had known and loved?

He wanted to say something to her, but realized she was already asleep, the exhaustion of her death and rebirth finally kicking back in. He gave her a lopsided grin before allowing himself to think of their mission at hand, only to realize they really didn't think this plan through. At all. All they knew was that Sephiroth's mother was being held captive somewhere in Nibelheim. Devon knew there was a reactor near the town, but that was an unlikely place to hold a prisoner.

They'd be heading straight into a blind hunt, and not only that, but they hadn't even thought about what to do _after_ they found Jenova. They couldn't exactly take the woman back to the Shinra HQ without raising suspicion. In fact, if the President knew of Hojo's plans they'd be executed at the spot for meddling with things that weren't any of their business, and that was a best-case scenario. He shuddered at the thought of needles and scalpels and all the other tools in the labs.

Devon shook his head and sighed in defeat. What had he gotten himself in to?

* * *

Sephiroth scratched Sebastian's black- and white head absent-minded when he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in, the door is unlocked." he mumbled as he turned his attention towards said door. Two black-haired men entered his apartment, kicked off their boots and seated themselves on the couch across the chair where Sephiroth laid in an uncharacteristically ungraceful manner, Valon's pet skunk sleeping soundly on his chest.

"Hey Seph," Zack greeted him. Angeal only gave him a worried look.

"Sephiroth, we worry about you." he said sternly, but his voice was laced with something else, something softer, but Sephiroth couldn't quite place it.

"There's no need to worry about me, Angeal." he said as he straightened himself on his chair, much to Sebastian's displeasure. "I'm fine." he said defiantly.

"That's why we worry, buddy." Zack said, scratching his neck through his raven locks. Sephiroth didn't quite understand, raising a sculpted eyebrow in confusion.

"After all that's happened, we expected, well," the youth rambled, making large gestures with his hands as he spoke. "We thought you'd drown yourself in work or sulk around or go out and beat up some poor innocent monsters or, you know, _something_. But you're just going about your life like nothing happened, and that kind of worries us."

Angeal nodded in agreement, but Sephiroth only chuckled.

"If you think her death and the enigma her rebirth presents doesn't affect me, you're gravely mistaken." he said calmly, focusing his gaze back on the small animal on his lap. "However, as much as it affects me personally, I won't allow it to affect my work."

He glared at the two men before him. Zack seemed to be at a loss for words and Angeal shook his head.

"You can talk to us, you know that, right?" the older man asked. Sephiroth pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He knew he could talk to his friends, but it would be useless. He needed to figure out why Valon was still alive and breathing. However grateful he was for her miraculous reanimation, it shouldn't have happened. _Couldn't_ have happened. She was dead, he had felt her body limp and lifeless in his arms, he had sensed the lacking heartbeat, felt her skin going cold through his fingertips, had known there was no soul left in the body of the woman who's life he had silently sworn to protect with his own.

He had failed her, and in a gut-wrenching moment he had realized he loved her, too.

But then, a sudden voice had screamed in the back of his head saying _standbreathelive_ and she had jumped up from his arms as if nothing had happened. But it wasn't _her_. Her heart was beating, her chest was rising and falling in frantic breaths and her body had moved, but her eyes were empty and soulless still. It wasn't her, it wasn't his Valon.

Only for a moment it wasn't. His instinct had screamed at him almost as loud as the voice had, and he hadn't even realized he had gotten up and embraced the woman. Only when the dull thud of the gun hitting the ground broke the deafening silence did he snap out of it. Only then did her eyes seem familiar to him again, seem like her.

It had been days since the event, and Sephiroth felt himself shaken still.

"Valon isn't in the labs anymore," the General was shaken from his thoughts when Angeal started speaking.

"Where is she?" the General narrowed his eyes. If she wasn't in the labs anymore, why hadn't she come home yet?

"Hojo forced a week of medical leave on her. Devon, her Turk friend," Zack explained. "took her back to their hometown so she could rest. Something about her not being compelled to work when she was home in Kalm."

Sephiroth felt a pang of hurt in his chest. He could imagine the need to be away from Midgar for a while, but she hadn't even stopped by to say goodbye. A strange feeling of loneliness welled up inside him, a feeling he thought to have left behind him many years ago.

However, he had to think about this rationally. The Turk probably never even gave her the chance to let her say goodbye, and besides, Sephiroth knew the man would take good care of her. The two shared a sense of companionship and kinship far beyond any normal friendship.

Either way, this gave him the chance to focus on solving the puzzle around Valon's reanimation without being distracted by his worries. He nodded to himself in determination as he gently stroked Sebastian's fur, then looked back up at the raven-haired men sitting in front of him. However much he hated to admit it, he couldn't do this alone. But he knew his friends would be more than glad to help him figure this out. He cleared his throat and glared at them intently before opening his mouth to speak.

"I need your help."

* * *

AN: Sorry for taking longer to update than usual! I've been crazy busy with work and kind of took this weekend to myself to just sleep and get some much-needed rest. A bit selfish of me, I know, but I'm sure y'all can forgive me for that one :)

Also, I know around this time period Veld should have been the Turk leader, but I like Tseng a lot more so *shrugs*


	18. XVIII: Snow and Dust

**XVIII: Snow and Dust**

It was only early in the morning and the small town of Nibelheim had been more active than it had been since a long time. When the people heard the sounds of a helicopter flying over the mountains, all citizens had rushed out of their homes, most still clad in nightgowns, to see who had intruded their peace and quiet. Most whispered about the boy who left the sheltered mountain town to join Shinra only months ago, and even mayor Lockhart had expressed his opinion and ideas with poorly masked disgust.

The people of Nibelheim despised Shinra, after all. They never truly cared about that boy, either.

They never believed the youth capable of anything. He was just a scrawny, clumsy boy, they said. The women had whispered words of heretics and demons, but that was nothing new. They'd never truly cared about the Strife family as a whole.

So naturally they all expected the youth to be sent home within the month, and some even spoke of his inevitable death. Eleanor Strife had ignored the whispers, she always did. She knew her boy was destined for something greater than a lonely life in the mountains. The old Gods had told her so, and who was she to doubt the words of the Divine. That's why she knew that whoever was inside that helicopter, it wasn't her Cloud. Nor was it a bearer of bad news.

Such personal condolences weren't Shinra's style, either way.

That's why she stood amongst the citizens with her head held high, patiently waiting for the helicopter to land and its passengers to introduce themselves.

First, a man stepped out of the machine. The helicopter had only just landed, the blades still spinning slowly. He was a handsome young man, Eleanor noted, tall and well-built, with glossy brown hair and a hint of a beard adorning his sharp jawline. She didn't recognize the blue suit, however. An executive, perhaps? No, she ruled that out when she noticed how messily he wore his suit. His white shirt was tucked poorly and his red tie was draped around his neck. No Shinra executive would present themselves like that. Not that Eleanor knew much of SOLDIER nor Shinra, but that much she did know.

When the second passenger stepped out, the whispers became louder. Some women clasped their hands in front of their mouths in recognition, so Eleanor assumed the woman was an important figure. Perhaps the gasps were in shock, she mused, as she rose her eyebrows at the woman's appearance. Her hair was parted in the middle, left side black as the night and the right whiter than the mountain snow. The black- and white spectacle continued in her clothing. Her black leather top was sleeveless and only held together by three dangling chains in the front, showing her strong stomach, part of her breasts and overall a lot more skin than the prudes of Nibelheim condoned. Her pants, or more like leather panties, were nearly completely hidden by a long, white cloth that was laced through two silver rings attached to the bottom of her top, again leaving the front open. The only clothing she wore that seemed even somewhat useful in the freezing cold were the thick, white socks that only slightly peeped over the top of her military boots.

All that aside, her most striking feature were her eyes. Her left eye was a striking azure and her right a ghastly red, both colours even more haunting due to the unmistakable glow of Mako.

Besides looking both terrifying and awe-inspiring, Eleanor thought the woman was beautiful.

Mayor Lockhart stumbled forward in an attempt to welcome the two to Nibelheim, but he looked hilariously nervous doing so.

* * *

Valon jumped out of the helicopter, her boots making a soft thumping sound on the snow, and she instantly regretted her attire. She rubbed her arms harshly, trying to warm them up but to no avail. Sephiroth had scolded her about her outfit before, telling her it was unpractical and distracting. She agreed with the latter, distracting was the exact thing she had aimed for after all. It wasn't honourable, as Angeal had reminded her more than once, but seeing rebels gawking at her with bright red cheeks before she knocked them cold was still one of the most hilarious ways to fight.

She had assumed the Mako would keep her warm, but apparently not even that would protect her from the harsh northern snow.

"Welcome to Nibelheim!" a man bellowed, his voice laced with nervousness. Valon took her place next to Devon and glared at the large mass of people standing around the well in the plaza of the small town.

"Hey Dev, you think this is every single person in the village?"

The Turk snorted. "Most likely."

Valon grinned as she took a few long strides towards the man and extended her hand to greet him.

"Thank you, sir. SOLDIER First Class, Lieutenant Valon Harper," she introduced herself. "That's Devon Summer, from the Department of Administrative Research."

"Brian Lockhart, mayor of Nibelheim," the man shook her hand and quickly retreated his arm, obviously not wanting to exchange pleasantries for longer than absolutely necessary. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"No need to worry, mayor Lockhart." Valon gave him a bright smile. "We just came to check up on some general affairs. We will try to keep out of your and your people's ways as much as we can. Now, if you'll excuse us, we would like to rest for a moment before we get to work."

"Ah, of course, you must have had a long trip." the mayor replied, eyes darting between Valon and Devon.

"Indeed we did," the Turk spoke, propping his fists on his hips in impatience. "So, you wouldn't mind showing us the way to the inn, now would you?"

Before the mayor could reply, someone in the crowd cleared their throat loudly. Moments after, a short woman with unruly blonde hair stepped forward and gave a little bow in respect and greeting. Valon was immediately reminded of a certain cadet she may or may not have attacked and harassed. A little.

"If you wouldn't mind, ma'am, mister, you'd be welcome to rest in my home."

Devon perked up a little and Valon nodded gratefully. Everything better than some stuffy inn.

"Thank you, miss." she said with a lopsided grin. "Say, you wouldn't happen to be related to Cloud Strife, now would you?"

The woman smiled brightly at the name. "Cloud is my son!"

"Ah, it's obvious where he got his looks from." Valon grinned. "Handsome boy, your son is."

Mrs. Strife blushed at the flattery, and Valon couldn't help but notice the confused looks from the townspeople. Something in her gut told her the family wasn't well-liked. She smirked mischievously and put both her hands on Mrs. Strife's shoulders.

"You ought to be proud of your son, Mrs. Strife. He'll make it to the top, I'm sure. His talent is quite remarkable."

Low hushes from the villagers made her smirk even wider. Even better, she wasn't even lying. Mrs. Strife patted her hands and waved them to follow her as she lead them to a cozy looking house near the plaza.

"You can call me Eleanor, dear." she replied as she walked past the villagers, ignoring their confused stares. She opened the door to her home and ushered the two in, all but pushing them to the kitchen as they entered.

"Sit, sit, I'll cook some breakfast, yeah?"

Valon thanked her and took a seat at the table, Devon following her example with a large grin on his face, most likely thanks to the idea of a home-cooked breakfast.

"Forgive me, Eleanor," Valon started as she accepted a cup of tea. "But I lied to the mayor."

"Why would you lie, dear?" Eleanor rose her blonde eyebrows in confusion. Valon didn't know why she felt the need to confess to this woman, but there was this aura around her, this sense of familiarity that made her trust the woman without second thought. Perhaps it was a remnant of her own past, the last few memories of her own mother, but something about her indeed.

"We came here on a rescue mission. We have proof of someone important being held captive here in the mountains, but we have no idea where to start." she sighed as she took a sip of tea, promptly ignoring Devon kicking her shins in warning. She glared at him over her cup, silently telling him to trust her intuition. He glared back at her as he sipped his own tea.

"Oh my, that sounds bad indeed." Eleanor said as she turned on the stove. "I can imagine why you wouldn't want everyone to know that. Keep it all hush-hush so the bad guy won't be warned, right?" Valon chuckled.

"Something like that."

Eleanor waved her spatula in front of the Lieutenant's face as she smiled. "Anything I can do to help, dear, anything at all!"

"You don't happen to know where we could start our search?"

"Well, I doubt you will find anything there, but you could always take a look inside the Shinra Manor."

* * *

The duo decided to follow Eleanor's advice and after a hasty but delicious breakfast, the promise of dinner and a rain of thank-yous from the Lieutenant, they had made their way to the Shinra Manor. The trek through the snowy hills had been quick and nearly without monster confrontations, only a pack of Nibel Wolves daring to come too close to the SOLDIER and Turk and the two made quick work of the beasts. Now they stood in front of the door, hesitating to open it.

"Do you think she's in here?" Valon asked, feeling more nervous than she showed. The annoying buzz in the back of her head didn't help the situation at the least. It had been there since she woke up in the labs only days prior, but she had been able to ignore it, her mind focused on other matters. However, since their arrival in Nibelheim, the small buzz had turned into annoying throbbing, nagging her and threatening to become a full-blown migraine. It made her lose focus, and above all, it pissed her off.

Devon shrugged at the question. "I don't know, but it won't hurt to look. Even if she isn't here, we might find some clues about Jenova's whereabouts."

Valon grimaced at the name, the throbbing turning into a sharp pain for a split second before going back to being a distracting buzz again. Perhaps she was more exhausted than she had realized, despite sleeping for most of the long flight from Midgar to the mountains. Either way, she shook her head to clear her mind. She couldn't afford being distracted nor tired.

"Let's go." she commanded, her voice more authoritative than she'd intended. Devon didn't think much of it, as he kicked the door open with more force than necessary.

The Turk whistled as he took a look around the large foyer. The entire place was covered in dust, but it was obvious it had been a gorgeous mansion once. The blue carpet dulled the thuds of their boots as they walked inside, dust puffing up with every footstep, and the potted plants that had once grown in the corners of the hall were brown, wilted and dead. The rusted chandelier above them was creaking dangerously, and the many cobwebs that covered the walls and ceiling were a clear indication of how long this place had been uninhabited.

Straight ahead of them, a large staircase would lead them to the upper floors, but they agreed to look for a basement of sorts first. That would be the most likely place to keep a prisoner, either way. There were four doors in the foyer, two to their left and two to their right.

"Let's split up," Devon suggested. "You take the left, I take the right."

Valon nodded in agreement and smiled at his trademark lazy salute before she turned and entered the first room to her left. She scanned the room, but nothing of interest caught her eye. It appeared to be a simple study, housing nothing but a desk, a chair and some more wilted plants. Scattered about the desk were some papers and documents, but all were yellowed from age and the ink had long faded. She took a few steps inside and bent over to pick up the paper that had fallen from the desk. This note seemed more recent, the paper not yet yellow and the ink still readable. The handwriting wasn't however, but she decided to keep it with her just in case it might contain important information. She carefully folded the note and tucked it in the small pouch around her thigh before looking through the other papers. None of them caught her attention, the documents simply too old to be of use. She walked around the room and checked the walls for hidden doors and lifted the carpet for the same purpose, but when she couldn't find anything she turned and left the room, the dust that was gathering in her lungs already getting on her nerves.

Valon hurried to the next door, but grimaced in disappointment when again the room seemed to have nothing but dust and dead plants inside. She scanned the room for any abnormalities and found herself slightly amused at the sight of an old piano. She curiously stalked towards it and put her hands on the wood, gently stroking it while walking around the instrument. She took a seat, inspecting the keys only to be disappointed to see nearly half of them were broken. She never learned how to play, even though Devon's mother had once tried to teach her. She simply didn't have the talent, which was a shame, she thought. It didn't stop her from pressing some of the still working keys, feeling somewhat giddy and nostalgic at the sound. She pressed another key, grimacing at how off-key the sound was.

"Ah, shit," she cursed as she pressed the third key, only for it to all but launch itself off the wood and onto the ground, landing with a comical clatter. She bent over to pick it up, but abruptly halted, her hand still overing over the white key. The Lieutenant narrowed her eyes as she noticed something written on the floor.

 **2 Left 10**

She opened her mouth and closed it again, unsure what it meant but just knowing it was important.

"Devon!" she called her friend, hoping he could hear her from whatever room he was in. He did, as he stormed through the door only seconds later, gunblade in hand and ready to attack.

"What's going on?"

"Look at this," she waved him over. With a few long strides he stood beside her and he crouched down when Valon pointed towards the floor.

"Two left ten, four right ninety-seven" he said.

"What?" Valon asked.

"I found a similar code in one of the other rooms, I think it's the code for a lock. Like a safe, or a room." Devon explained. Valon hummed in understanding. That meant they had to find the rest of the codes, then.

"There's nothing else here, I assume?" Devon asked as he rose. Valon nodded as she followed his example.

"Let's check the rooms upstairs for the rest of the code."

The two stalked back to the foyer and climbed the stairs to the second floor. Valon pointed to the right door. "I'll go there, you take the left door," she ordered. Devon obeyed, quickly taking off to his appointed door. Valon walked over to her own and slammed it open. She entered a small hallway with three rooms connected to it, all but one door standing wide open. The Lieutenant decided to check the closed door first and grimaced as she entered the room. The entire room was one large, spiral staircase she assumed lead to the basement of the building. She turned sharply, deciding it would be unwise to enter the basements on her own. She walked through the corridor to enter the middle room, but suddenly stopped as the floor creaked a little too loudly to be normal. She crouched and inspected the wooden floor. She noticed one of the planks being slightly darker than the others, and a lot more loose. She drew her sword and carefully put the tip between the crease, using the weapon as a lever to wrench the plank loose. It was an easy task, the rotten wood no match for SOLDIER strength. She sheathed her sword and grabbed the plank, flipping it over to study the underside of the wood.

As she had expected, another part of the code was written on the back.

 **3 Right 59**

" Two left ten, four right ninety-seven, three right fifty-nine," she repeated the pieces of the code they had already found. She quickly rose to her feet, deciding to leave the other rooms be for now, and rushed back to the foyer and then to the room Devon had entered. The Turk was scratching his beard in thought, staring at a huge safe with an unfocused look in his eyes. Valon could almost hear his gears turning and felt herself hesitate to interrupt his thinking, but he had already noticed her appearance.

"Found another part of the code?" he asked. She nodded and walked up to him.

"Three right fifty-nine," she said.

"I found one, too. One right thirty-six." he focused his gaze on the safe again. "So, we have one right thirty-six, two left ten, three right fifty-nine and four right ninety-seven."

"Yeah, you think that's all?"

"Only one way to find out," the Turk grinned as he moved his hand to the lock. "You might want to draw your weapon, though."

"What?" Valon asked in confusion, but Devon didn't need to answer as loud thumps filled the room, the sound coming from inside the safe. The Monochrome Lieutenant snorted as she drew her sword and took a few steps back. Devon drew his gunblade and started turning the lock, softly whispering the combination to himself. The soft click of the safe unlocking sounded and Devon quickly leaped back, just in time before the safe slammed open with a deafening crash.

* * *

AN: I kind of changed the layout of the Manor because A. I couldn't be bothered with describing ten empty and irrelevant rooms and B. I couldn't remember the exact layout of the rooms and their contents, the unimportant ones at least. I hope that's not an issue!

Thanks for reading and I hope to see you next chapter!


	19. XIX: Misunderstandings

**XIX: Misunderstandings**

 _Zack felt like running away as fast as he could. Perhaps he should just flee back to his home in Gongaga. Yes, he thought, enjoying his mother's home-cooked meals and relaxing in the jungle sounded way better than what he was about to do. Hell, even getting pestered by Touch Me's would be better._

 _He should be honoured, he realized that, but the truth was, he was terrified. Having a friendly dinner with General Sephiroth, his mentor Angeal Hewley, Commander Genesis Rhapsodos and Captain Valon Harper was a situation he'd never even dared dream to be in. And yet, here he stood, his fist raised in the air to knock on the door, but instead was frozen solid._

" _Okay Zack, you can do this," he assured himself in a low whisper. "Angeal will be there too, after all. Everything will be just fine."_

 _The youth took a deep breath and knocked firmly, but instead of the expected cold metal under his knuckles, his fist met something warm and soft._

 _He felt himself pale when a gruff "oof," met his ears._

" _You must be Zachary," a tall man with long, silver hair greeted him while rubbing the spot on his shoulder where the boy's fist had connected._

* * *

 _Sephiroth felt his lips curl upwards in a sly grin at the sight of the raven-haired boy, standing frozen solid with his offending arm still slightly raised. His mouth hung agape and his eyes were widened in fear._

 _When the youth didn't answer his question, the General raised a single eyebrow._

" _Sephiroth, who's that?" he heard Genesis ask from inside the apartment._

" _I assume it's Angeal's pet." he answered._

 _At that statement, he heard the clattering of utensils falling to the tiled floor, followed by the muffled thumps of military boots on the carpet._

" _Zack," Angeal started as Sephiroth turned to casually lean his back to the door post, giving the SOLDIER statue a glimpse inside the General's apartment._

 _Zack shook his head, finally snapping back to reality. He took a deep breath and saluted._

" _I'm sorry for hitting you, General, sir!" he bellowed, only to stumble back in surprise when a woman's loud and hearty laughter filled his ears. Sephiroth snorted and gave the boy a polite smile._

" _Don't worry about formalities when we're off duty," he stated, crossing his arms in amusement. "Don't worry about hitting me either." Zack visibly relaxed as he sagged his shoulders, although his lopsided grin still gave away how nervous he felt._

" _Get back inside, Sephiroth," Genesis yelled from the living room. "You're scaring the boy."_

 _Sephiroth laughed and turned his back to the SOLDIER as he made his way back to the living room. He gracefully seated himself next to his redhead friend, but still kept one eye on the door where Angeal just ruffled Zack's hair._

 _The two raven-haired men entered the room as well, the younger of the two fidgeting his belt as his eyes darted back and forth. Sephiroth assumed the boy was taking in his apartment and evading his gaze at the same time._

* * *

" _Angeal, get your ass back to the kitchen and help me with the stew!" came an angry yell from the kitchen. At that, a woman with black- and white hair stomped out from the kitchen, swinging a spatula around dangerously. She knocked Angeal on the head with the butt of the wooden thing and turned to aim it at who Zack assumed was Commander Rhapsodos. Before she could scold him, however, the redhead shut his book and rose._

" _Yes yes, close my book or you'll use it as toilet paper, greet the guest properly, grab the plates, same old, same old," he said in a nasal, sarcastic tone. "Anything else I'm forgetting, ma?"_

 _The woman grinned and put her hands to her hips. "You're learning so fast!" she cooed._

 _The General chuckled in amusement but quickly twisted his gaze in a stoic expression when the spatula was pointed to his face._

" _Don't you even try, you egg, or I'll beat you so hard you'll be the fluffiest omelet I've ever tasted. Now," she turned and shoved the spatula in Zack's face. Zack started back, only barely biting back a yelp of surprise._

" _You go and make yourself at home, okay?" she put her hands back on her hips and smiled at him brightly. "I'm Valon Harper."_

" _Za-" Zack shook his head, blushing when his voice cracked. "Zack Fair, ma'am." Valon only chuckled before she turned back to the kitchen, glaring at Angeal in warning as she passed him._

" _What the hell?" Zack found himself blurting it out before he could stop himself._

" _Don't worry about it," Angeal grinned and ruffled his hair again. "She's weird like that."_

" _I heard that!" came a yell from the kitchen. Angeal snorted and hurried to the kitchen. Moments later, the slapping sound of wood hitting skin filled the room._

" _You people are mad." Zack shook his head, but couldn't hide his amused smile. "Absolutely mad."_

 _The redhead walked up to him and extended his hand in greeting. "Pretty much, but you'll get used to it. The name's Genesis Rhapsodos."_

 _Zack grinned brightly. "I'm Zack Fair," he introduced himself. He had no clue what just happened, but he found himself thoroughly enjoying himself as he watched the spectacle unfold. He couldn't believe he was in the same room with his idols, about to share a home-cooked meal with them. Even more, he couldn't believe how_ normal _they all were. Well, for SOLDIER standards, that is._

* * *

 _Sephiroth took a seat at the head of the table, Angeal at his left and Zack next to Angeal. The chair to his right was still empty, as Valon was still in the kitchen, and next to that sat Genesis, his book carefully hidden on his lap. Sephiroth cleared his throat, feeling like he should speak to Angeal's student, but small talk wasn't his strong suit._

 _Talking in general wasn't his strong suit._

" _Zachary," he started, raising his eyebrows slightly when the boy automatically corrected him._

 _"It's Zack, sir. Just Zack."_

 _Again, the General cleared his throat. "Very well. So, Zack, how are you faring under Angeal's tutoring?"_

 _Zack scratched the back of his head and snorted. "He's a real slave driver, tell you the truth."_

" _He's quite stern, isn't he?" Valon entered the room with a large, steaming pan. She put it on the table and took Zack's plate to fill it with delicious smelling stew. "It's part of his charm, though. And if you wish to specialize in strength, Angeal's your man."_

" _Specialize?" Zack asked as he accepted his plate. Valon hummed affirmatively as she grabbed Angeal's plate. "All SOLDIERs specialize in something. To become a Second, and eventually even First, you'll need to be good in all of them, though. You see, there's strength," she pointed at Angeal. "Then there's Materia," she pointed at Genesis. "And speed. That would be me. We compliment each other nicely, don't you agree?"_

 _Zack nodded in understanding, but then turned his gaze at Sephiroth curiously._

" _You're wondering about Sephiroth's specialty?" Angeal patted his student on the shoulder. "Sephiroth doesn't have one. Speed, strength, magic, it's all the same to him."_

" _I think Sephiroth does have a specialty," Genesis disagreed, giving the General a sly smile. "His specialty is glaring."_

 _Zack almost choked in his stew when the General proved Genesis' statement as he coldly glared at the redhead._

* * *

Valon almost laughed at how ugly the monster was. Its right side was a bright purple, fleshy and muscular with a large, green claw connecting to a thick but short arm. The flat, frog-like head sported one bright yellow eye right next to his nose, reminding the Lieutenant of one of those ugly, flat-faced dogs. As if that wasn't enough, it had the biggest underbite she had ever seen, long, sharp teeth standing inches away from his face. The other half of his body seemed made of slimy tentacles with razor-sharp tips. As the tentacle-like arm slammed down on the floor with a nasty, wet sound, she noticed the eye at the tip of its tentacle, blinking quickly but seemingly unable to focus. The monster roared loudly, and its heavy breathing once again reminded Valon of those dogs.

The urge to laugh disappeared when it locked its golden eye with hers while the tentacle snapped to Devon, clearly watching them both in anticipation. Valon took a deep breath and charged at the beast as the loud bangs of gunshots filled the room. The Lieutenant hacked at it, but the beast only huffed and slammed her to the side with its green claw.

Valon cursed as she collided with the wall, slumping to the ground in pain for only a moment. She huffed, spat out some blood and rose again. The monster was distracted by Devon, who was pumping bullet after bullet in the sensitive tentacles, all the while effortlessly dodging the heavy arm that swung at it. Valon looked around the room, irritated by how small it was. She couldn't properly fight at melee range like this, simply not enough space to dodge close-ranged attacks.

Taking a page from Genesis' book, she rose her left arm, open palm aimed at the beast, and concentrated on the power that flowed through her body as soon as she activated the Fire materia.

"Burn," she spat as she released the magic through her fingertips, a large ball of fire homing straight to the monster's face. It screeched as the spell connected, trashing about as its green claw covered its face.

Devon took his chance, twirling his gunblade around his fingers as he charged at the monster, aiming to slice the biggest tentacle clean off. He hadn't anticipated the monster capable of magic, and he learned in a painful way. He noticed the small surges of electricity too late, unable to stop his arm from swinging his weapon. He grit his teeth and took a deep breath as his gunblade connected with the tentacle, but he was unable to bite back the scream of pain when the bolt spell surged through his body. Faintly, he heard Valon scream his name as he fell to his knees, groaning as his body spasmed a few times. Valon tried to distract the monster by hurling another fireball at it, but in its anger the monster grabbed Devon, his tentacle arm wrapping firmly around his waist, and threw the Turk with full force against the Monochrome Lieutenant, the blow so strong they both painfully crashed straight through the wall as if it wasn't there. They rolled through the corridor and only came to a stop when they collided with another wall.

The duo fell to the ground, Devon the first to come back to his senses. He shook his head to clear his vision and glanced to his right where Valon lay groaning on the ground. She leaned on her elbows, trying to get back on her feet, but her arms were shaking under the effort. Small streams of blood dripped from the corners of her mouth.

Devon closed his left eye as his own blood hindered his eyesight. Judging from the throbbing pain on his forehead, he had a nasty wound that was bleeding freely. Other than that, he felt fine as Valon had cushioned his impact on both the wall and the floor. He wiped the blood out of his eye and scrambled to his feet.

"Can you stand?" He asked Valon, but she didn't respond. Her eyes were hazy, Devon noted, and he cursed loudly. With her SOLDIER enhancements she shouldn't have gotten hurt this bad. Just how much had her previous injuries truly healed?

He cursed again as the monster stepped through the hole in the wall. The Turk grabbed his friend and lifted her over his shoulder, earning himself a loud groan from the woman when he did.

"You're welcome," he huffed as he sprinted towards the foyer. At least there he'd have enough room to fight, he mused, so he dashed down the stairs skipping multiple steps at a time. He gently lowered Valon, grinned mildly amused at how she held a tight grip on her sword despite barely being concious. He put her against the wall and somewhat safe as he turned to the monster that was clumsily sprinting towards him. He readied his gunblade as he slowly stalked away from his injured friend.

The monster halted at the bottom of the stairs, his one golden eye sweeping the floor as if to take in its environment. It turned to Valon, who was covering her face with shaky hands, and roared again. Devon sighed, casually lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.

"This'll be the death of me," he groaned as he took aim. He fired his shot, gulping when the monster instantly charged at him. Devon ran towards the wall and jumped, using his momento to run a few steps across the wall before jumping off, landing on top of one of the cabinets. With his new height he could aim at the golden eye with more precision. He took a deep breath and fired when he released.

The bullet hit the beast square in the eye, a perfect bullseye, but it didn't even look affected by it. It just rubbed his eye in confusion before looking at the Turk again.

"Well, fuck." Devon laughed without humour when the monster charged at him, tentacles flailing around in its blind rage. Again, Devon fired, this time the bullet connecting with one of the tentacles on its head.

This time, it did seem to feel the blow. It screeched and dropped to the ground with a loud crash, his green claw covering the bullet wound as it whined pathetically. Devon snorted in realization. The purple side was resistant to physical attacks.

In that case, the red side is probably resistant to magic, he thought. He smiled, now knowing the monster's weak points. It still laid on the ground, so Devon dared to take his eyes off of it to see if Valon was alright. She was standing upright, her right hand clutching her ribs with a pained grimace on her face. She held her left arm up, palm facing the monster, her bangle glowing in casting. When her fire spell connected to the purple back, Devon nodded in approval. Despite her wounded state, she had made the same realization.

He was about to charge again when the monster let loose a roar that threatened to deafen them both. It thrashed around as if in horrible pain, then went limp. For a moment, Devon thought it was dead, but he was quickly proven wrong when the beast started glowing. He lifted his arm to cover his eyes from the bright light, his lips pressed to a thin line as the monster transformed before his eyes.

When the light dimmed, the monster rose again, its entire body now covered with the red tentacles, the purple side completely taken over by the red one.

"What the hell?" Devon scratched his head.

Valon raised her eyebrows at the transformation, thoroughly annoyed by the beast, her pained ribs and the damn throbbing in her head. No longer needing her materia, she unslotted one of the orbs and threw it at the monster in frustration. The orb bounced harmlessly off of his body. Not that Valon had expected it to do anything other than possibly agitate the monster a little, but there was something satisfying about throwing the green orb at the ugly beast.

It indeed agitated the monster as it turned its tentacle arms towards her, two eyes staring at her.

"Come and get me!" she yelled at it, unslotting another materia and throwing it, hitting it in the dead center of its eye. She was about to grab a third materia, but she fell to her knees again when the throbbing in her head turned into a screaming voice.

 _Darknessdangerdestroy_

On cue, a hail of bullets downed the monster within seconds, green whisps of the lifestream rising out of the monster. Valon assumed it was Devon who pumped it full with lead, but was proven wrong when a cold metal wrapped around her throat and lifted her up, her feet dangling above the ground as she tried to kick the one that had assaulted her. Her foot connected with something, but it wasn't hard enough to hurt her attacker.

She tried to open her eyes, but through the screaming in her mind and the struggle for air, all she could see was red.

Devon aimed his gun at the man who held Valon in a suffocating grip, but he was met with a three-barreled gun. The two stared each other down, but Devon held his free hand up and slowly lowered his gun to the ground, not breaking eye contact with the cloaked man.

"Who are you?" the Turk asked as he observed the gunner. The man was drop-dead gorgeous, Devon noted. Long, black hair cascaded around his cloaked shoulders, and his piercing red eyes made his fair skin look even lighter. A red headband covered most of his forehead and the hand with which he held Valon was a sharp, golden claw.

The man was terrifying, clearly hostile and absolutely stunning.

The gunman ignored his question and turned his gaze towards the Lieutenant, no emotion showing on his stoic face.

"A female SOLDIER?" he pondered out loud, his voice rough and hoarse as if he hadn't spoken in a long time. Only when Valon turned an unhealthy shade of blue and made a horrible choking sound, did the gunman release her. She dropped to the ground and took a deep breath, making horrible wheezing noises as she tried to fill her lungs with air. Her ribs were screaming in protest and her eyesight was blurry.

"What the..." she breathed as she tried to stand without success. "What the.. hell is... your problem?"

The gunman only raised his eyebrow.

Devon ran up to the Lieutenant and crouched down next to her. He put his hand on her shoulder protectively as he looked up to the cloaked man. "Answer my question," the Turk demanded.

"Why are you here?" the gunman disregarded the command. Valon groaned as she once again clutched her ribs.

"Jenova, we-"

"What do you want with her?" the gunman hissed, anger flashing across his eyes.

"We're here to rescue her." Devon spat. "Since you obviously know her, could you be so kind to tell us where she's held captive?"

The black-haired man cocked his gun, aiming between Devon's eyes. The face that had been so stoic before was twisted in rage, and the Turk felt himself shiver at the intensity of his glare. His gaze snapped back to Valon as she slowly scrambled back to her feet, using the wall behind her for support. She glared back at the gunman, the intensity of her eyes matching his own.

"If you're one of Hojo's lackeys, I swear to Gaia I will destroy you." she hissed. The gunman rose his eyebrows in confusion.

"One of... _Hojo_?" he spat the name in anger. Valon's expression softened at that, and the three just stared at each other in confusion. After a very uncomfortable silence, the cloaked man lowered his gun.

"You're the innkeeper..." he mumbled. Valon opened her mouth and closed it, not sure what to say. Before their death, her parents owned the Kalm Inn. Had the man known her parents?

The gunman looked at Devon with the same confused expression. "And her husband..."

The Turk stared blankly at the gunman for a moment before busting out in laughter. He clutched his stomach while tears rolled down his cheeks.

"This is hilarious," he cackled. "You think I'm her husband? Really, now?" he managed to say before laughing loudly again. Valon chuckled. "Uhm, I think you mistake us for someone else." she scratched the back of her head.

The gunman shook his head slowly. "No, I'm sure... But-"

He was interrupted by Devon's laughter. "You don't understand, I can't possibly be her husband."

"What?" the man asked, confusion all but dripping off his face.

"Listen buddy, the reason I can't be her husband is because I like _dick_."

"What?"

"I'm gay."

The gunman's mouth formed a perfect O.

"Besides, Sephiroth would kill him if he ever dared to try anything with me." Valon shrugged casually, but let out a cry when the claw closed around her throat again and she was slammed mercilessly against the wall.

* * *

AN: Pointless fluff memory scene go! Sorry, pointless things are so much fun to write x3 Speaking of which, I was thinking of making another story where I just throw in a bunch of oneshots with scenes I want to write but don't really add to the plot. Would you guys enjoy reading those?

Also, YASSS VINCENT *fangirls*


	20. XX: My Funny Valentine

**XX: My Funny Valentine**

 _There were many ways in which one could become SOLDIER First, but all of them were akin to suicide. One way in particular was suicidal. Not just suicidal, a foolish suicide. Jumping off the highest tower of the Shinra building would at least leave your dignity somewhat in tact. Or when taking a leap from the plate nobody but some unlucky slum dwellers would see your mangled corpse, your body turned to monster lunch by the time someone came to collect you, none of your friends having to see the failure you've become._

 _No, challenging a SOLDIER First to a duel was senseless, idiotic and foolish. Every SOLDIER strives to become First, but all of them value their lives more._

 _It was said that this way of promotion was implemented by the current Firsts as a joke, a mockery to the lower ranks. Perhaps they were looking for a cheap way to hurt, maim or kill some poor fools without consequence, or perhaps they were genuinely hoping for a challenger actually strong enough to match them. Either way, nobody had ever been foolish enough to try and find out._

 _That was, until one brave soul decided to give it a shot. Word of the challenge had spread through Shinra fast and when they day of the duel finally arrived, nearly every person who had some free time in their schedule had gathered around the training grounds. From janitor to trooper and even the President himself had taken a seat at the makeshift arena, all hoping to see either a poor fool get their head cut clean off, or the rise of a new star._

 _Either way, it would be the greatest duel of the century. If not a fantastic battle, then at least a thoroughly entertaining butchering._

 _But not everyone was amused. Two of the three SOLDIER Firsts themselves, for example. The three of them stood in the middle of the arena, arms crossed and eyes focused on the challenger, who stood in front of them with a glare that could kill. The only one of the group who seemed to enjoy himself was the tall redhead, smirking at the challenger with an air of arrogance that made their blood boil._

" _Let's get this over with," the challenger snarled at the three._

" _Valon," the oldest of the First, the raven-haired Commander, spoke softly so the audience couldn't hear. "Are you sure about this?"_

" _There's no turning back now," she hissed, glaring daggers at Genesis as she turned to where president Shinra was seated. She walked up to the fat man and saluted, her icy expression never wavering._

" _SOLDIER Second Valon Harper," the president bellowed, clearly amused by the spectacle. "Please try your best to entertain us all tonight. Heidegger?" the president turned to the other morbidly obese man, this one clad in military green._

 _Heidegger stepped forward, cleared his throat and turned to the audience. "I welcome you all to this very special duel!"_

 _The audience roared and hollered at the greeting, and Heidegger responded with his horrible horse laugh._

" _Gya haa haa haa! Please welcome the very first SOLDIER brave enough to try this challenge, SOLDIER Second Valon Harper! Gya haa!"_

 _Again, the audience clapped and stomped their boots on the ground and screamed at the top of their lungs in enthusiasm, the noise was deafening. Valon tried to block the sounds, to channel deep within herself and just relax, but she couldn't. This was like being publicly executed, she thought, and there was no way out, no escaping her imminent death._

" _Now, I ask thee, who will this valiant hero be facing today?" Heidegger continued. Valon rolled her eyes at the man's theatrics, but otherwise kept up her stoic mask. Secretly, she hoped the audience would pick Genesis as her opponent. Not that she'd be able to defeat him, but oh, how she could hurt him. Her fingers curled around her standard issue broadsword at the image of a bleeding Genesis, screaming for mercy at her feet right before she delivered the final blow._

 _She realized that that would be the least likely scenario, but hey, a girl can dream. At the very least, the redhead Commander deserved it for putting her in this mess. She still couldn't believe he had cast Confuse on her as a prank. Even more unbelievable, she had officially challenged the Firsts to a promotion duel in her confusion._

 _And now there she stood, in the makeshift arena, holding her breath as the audience got to decide her executioner. Perhaps she should hope for Angeal, she mused. At least he wouldn't draw out her imminent doom. No, he'd give her a quick and relatively painless death, she was sure._

 _But of course, no such luck. She felt herself pale when the audience started chanting "Sephiroth! Sephiroth!" over and over again. Naturally, every single person in Shinra knew of the dubious relationship between the General and his aide. Only few knew the truth of it all, but the rumor mill was turning and everyone thought the two were involved in more than just business, and it seemed they just couldn't resist the drama it added to the duel that was already blown way out of proportion._

 _There was just something so enthralling about two lovers shedding each-other's blood._

" _General Sephiroth, if you would be so kind? Gya haa haa!" Heidegger hollered. Angeal and Genesis walked up to Valon, who stood nailed to the ground in front of the president still. Angeal put his hands on her shoulders, his comforting presence soothing her nerves and fear somewhat. He pressed his forehead against hers for a short moment before staring at her apologetically. Valon shook her head, wordlessly telling him that it wasn't his fault. The Commander grimaced, whispered a good luck and turned to the two empty seats at the front row. Genesis only smirked at her before following his co-Commander to his reserved spot._

 _Valon drew her sword and stalked to where Genesis had just taken a seat. With one quick movement, her broadsword was pressed against his neck. She glared daggers at him and leaned closer._

" _If I survive this," she hissed. "I will kill you."_

 _At that, she turned to the lone figure still standing in the middle of the arena, ignoring Heidegger's enthusiastic screaming and the crowd's wild cheering. She saluted her fiancé, who was stoically taking her in, not revealing any emotion. He extended his hand formally, but Valon only snorted._

 _'What the hell,' she thought. 'I'll die today anyways.'_

 _With that thought, she grabbed the leather straps on the man's chest and pulled him down, crashing their lips in a rough kiss. She didn't think it possible for the audience to be even louder, but she was proven wrong. The second their lips met, the people around them screamed at the top of their lungs, the duel already more eventful than they'd predicted._

 _Valon grimaced at the metallic taste of blood in her mouth, her lip slightly split where his teeth had crashed into the soft flesh. She pulled back and turned, stalking away from Sephiroth and to her starting spot, not once looking back at the silver-haired man._

 _When she turned again, Sephiroth had readied the Masamune, waiting for the signal to begin. Valon took a deep, shuddery breath, trying to calm her emotions but to no avail. Standing at the wrong end of the Masamune, she decided, was more terrifying than death itself._

 _At her right, Scarlet had risen from her seat with her hand raised. Again, Valon rolled her eyes at the theatrics of it all, but quickly focused when the woman yelled at the two SOLDIERs to begin their duel._

 _Sephiroth didn't hesitate, instantly going on the offense as soon as the starting signal had sounded. In two impossibly long steps, he stood before her. She could only just in time bring up her own sword to parry the bone-shattering blow. The strength behind his first attack forced her back a few feet, her heavy boots leaving deep tracks in the grass. Sephiroth followed his attack up with another swing, and another, and Valon was able to block every single swing but only just in time. Her arms already shook under the effort, and she was forced to jump back at his next attack, not sure if she would be able to block it again._

 _The General smirked at her, taunted her with just the twitch of his lips, and with a loud battle-cry she charged at him, trying to go on the offensive. Sephiroth blocked her swing effortlessly, the loud crash of metal on metal ringing in her ears as he forced her in a swordlock. His green eyes glanced over the Masamune, the glow of his eyes reflected hauntingly on the metal of his blade._

 _Again, Valon was forced to jump back to safety, just in time to dodge the relentless swing that would have cut her clean in half. She grunted in frustration when she jumped back in and all her strikes were parried with ease once again. Sephiroth was going all-out, never leaving a single opening she could take advantage of._

 _She hadn't expected anything less, but it was terribly infuriating nonetheless. Her red- and blue eyes darted around the field, looking for something she could use to her advantage, but the entire arena was cleared up for their battle. There were no racks, crates or other objects she could climb, no sand she could cheaply throw in his eyes, she couldn't even scale the walls, as large tribunes were placed all around them, the seats filled with cheering people._

 _'Wait a minute,' a thought came to her. 'That's it!'_

 _She readied her sword again and rushed at Sephiroth, ready to swing, but the moment the General brought up the Masamune to parry, she feigned to the right, rolled to the ground and threw her sword at him. Sephiroth raised his free arm to protect his face and while his sight was momentarily blocked by his own arm, Valon sprinted towards the audience, jumped on the tribunes and ducked underneath one of the benches, dropping underneath the tribunes and startling a couple of SOLDIERs in the progress._

 _The audience stopped cheering instantly. Valon dared a peek from her hiding spot and almost yelled in triumph when she saw Sephiroth idly staring at the large, bleeding gash in his arm. She clasped her hands in front of her mouth to keep her from doing so. Whispers and murmurs started filling her ears when Sephiroth made a 'tsk' sound at his wound, the audiences' words of disbelief welling up above her._

 _Valon shook her head, trying to focus again. She couldn't believe she made the General bleed, but she had no time to rejoice. She soundlessly crept towards where Genesis, Angeal, the president and his executives were seated, one eye kept on Sephiroth as he was scanning the field around him, trying to locate her._

 _When she stood behind Scarlet, she snaked her arm underneath the bench and stole the woman's gun without her even noticing. Valon felt another jump of triumph in her stomach and grinned like a fool before creeping a few steps further, this time towards Genesis' back. The Commander had put his sword next to him, unsheathed and ready for her to snag._

 _The shuffling of boots above her and the soft, nervous coughs made it clear that she'd taken long enough. She took another deep breath to calm herself, crouched to the ground and closed her eyes for a moment. Then, she nodded to herself before she used all her strength to burst through the tribune in a rain of splintered wood, knocking Angeal and Genesis from their chairs and to the ground. Loud cheers erupted when Valon snatched the red Rapier and charged at Sephiroth, who turned to her in a whirl of black leather and silver hair, just in time to block the strike from the Rapier. He glared at her with a confused expression as soon as he recognized the weapon, and Valon grinned in return before raising the gun she held in her left hand._

 _With a sharp intake of breath, Sephiroth twisted his wrist, turning the Masamune in a way that forced her to drop the Rapier. An emotion Valon couldn't quite place flashed across his jade eyes as he swung the Masamune to her neck, halting his swing only a split second before it would have beheaded her, just as she placed the gun to his temple, finger on the trigger. A sure killing blow._

 _The two stared each-other down, not daring to move an inch. Valon felt blood trickle down her throat but ignored it, the first one to be even slightly distracted was dead, and they both knew it, so they continued to stare at each-other, breathing heavily but not willing to even move a single inch._

 _The crowd had been silent, eerily so, but after a few moments of the stalemate they all erupted in loud screams, cheers, yells and claps. Sephiroth pulled his Masamune away from his fiancée's neck, gave her a soft kiss on her forehead and smiled at her, a hint of pride in his vibrant eyes, before turning away from her and leaving the arena without another word._

* * *

The gunman put his gun against Valon's forehead, rage flickering in his crimson eyes once more. She tried to pry his hands from her neck, but her injuries and the abuse left her too weak to even stand a chance.

"How do you know Sephiroth?" the man asked in a low whisper. Valon tried to answer, but with the golden claw suffocating her, she simply couldn't speak. She didn't need to answer however, as Devon did it for her.

"She's engaged to Sephiroth," Devon explained, although he didn't know if it was the right answer. The man was unpredictable and feral, reminding the Turk of a wild beast. Devon bit back a curse as it appeared to be the wrong answer. The gunman strengthened his grip on the Lieutenant's throat, small droplets of blood trickling down her neck where the sharp claws broke her skin.

"So you're here to betray him?" the gunman snarled.

"What the hell are you talking about?' Devon snapped, resisting the urge to tackle the red-cloaked man. "We're here to rescue his mother from Hojo!"

At that, the gunman released Valon and she dropped to the ground once more. She inhaled sharply as she rubbed her throat, dark bruises already starting to show on the fair skin. The man lowered his gun and crouched in front of the struggling woman.

"Explain," he demanded. Valon tried to stand, but her body didn't cooperate. She tried to raise herself with her arms, but shook under the effort and gave up after barely two seconds of trying. She rolled to her back and took a deep breath, cursing her luck. Today was not her day, she mused grumpily.

"First off," she scoffed. "You're an asshole. Second, all I know is that Jenova is held captive by Hojo and she's somewhere in Nibelheim. We're going to rescue her and kick Hojo's ass back to yesterday so I can go the fuck back home and enjoy life with my to-be-husband _and_ mother-in-law."

Devon was mildly impressed at how authoritative she sounded and looked, breathing heavily, severely injured and tiredly sprawled on her back, obviously _not_ in control of the situation yet somehow still appearing to be. It reminded the Turk of why she was the Lieutenant in the first place. Not because of her ties to Sephiroth, no sir, the girl had earned her position in the SOLDIER hierarchy fair and square.

The gunman groaned and plopped down on his behind, looking surprisingly graceful in the ungraceful act. He pulled up one knee and rested his arm on top of it, glaring at Valon intently for a moment before opening his mouth to speak.

"Jenova is not Sephiroth's mother."

"What?" Devon and Valon yelled in perfect sync.

"His real mother's name is Lucrecia Crescent."

"Wow, okay, rewind." Valon breathed, eyes wide in confusion. "How do you know this?"

"Because I knew Lucrecia well." the man responded. A strange emotion flashed across his face, an expression Valon couldn't quite place. Embarrassment? Regret?

"Who exactly _are_ you?" Devon breathed, not sure if he believed the madman. The gunner stayed silent for a moment, but eventually answered the question in a soft whisper.

"Vincent Valentine."

"You're nuts." Devon snorted when he heard the name. Vincent Valentine was legendary amongst the Turks. Years back, when a man named Veld was the Turk leader, there was a Turk said to be the best there was and ever would be. The man, partner to Veld, was named Vincent Valentine and had one day disappeared, just vanished into thin air when a mission went awry. He was called Missing in Action and eventually Killed in Action and was never seen again. The body was never found, so it wouldn't be completely impossible for the man to speak the truth, however, this all happened well over twenty years ago and the gunman looked no year older than twenty-five. If that.

"I speak the truth." the man simply responded, clearly unfazed by the insult. Devon opened his mouth to retort, but his words were drowned out by Valon's obnoxious, loud groan. She rolled back to her stomach and lifted herself from the ground, the act clearly taking a lot of effort as she trembled and huffed while slowly, _slowly_ getting back on her feet. She limped a couple of steps forward while grumbling under her breath. When Devon wanted to ask what she was doing, she raised her hand to silence him, all the while shuffling to the center of the foyer.

"Fuck this. Fucking asshole vampire, who the hell does he think he his." she breathed. "Fucking bullshit. I'm going to find Jenova, get my ass back home and retire from SOLDIER. I'll become a boring fucking housewife who spends her time exchanging boring fucking rumors with her boring fucking neighbours and cook boring fucking meals and live a boring fucking life and die a boring fucking death. Everything better than-" she was interrupted as her legs gave away under her and fell to the floor for the umpteenth time that morning. " _Fuck_!"

The two men stared at each-other with mild amusement as the Lieutenant scrambled to her feet again. She limped towards one of the materia she had thrown at the monster and bent over to grab it. She then shuffled towards the second one and picked it up.

"You might want to rest," the gunman shrugged when she slowly made her way towards the front door. At that, Valon instantly halted and threw her materia at him, hitting him square in the face.

Vincent stared at the orb that slowly rolled away from him, rubbing his nose where the ball had hit him. Did the woman just... Did she _really_ just throw a materia at his face?

The girl was absolutely mad.

"Wait, Val, let's at least hear him out," Devon stood and walked towards his friend. She glared at him defiantly, but knew that she'd die the second she stepped outside. The mountains were dangerous enough when you were all fine and dandy, but when injured...

"Fine," she sighed as she limped back to where Vincent sat, a calm expression on his handsome face. She plopped down, not nearly as gracefully as the gunman had done, and fell to her back with a loud groan. "I think my ribs are broken," she whined.

"You have a Cure with you?" Devon asked. The Lieutenant raised her left arm, not even bothering to take off her bangle herself. The Turk bent forward and took it off of her wrist, equipped it himself and activated the Cure materia. Valon hummed happily when the healing spell started to knit her broken bones back together. She closed her eyes and sighed under the warmth of the magic, feeling more comfortable than she thought possible on the dusty carpet. Devon, careful not to break his focus on the spell, slowly turned to Vincent. "You can start explaining now."

"Lucrecia was working under Hojo in the Science Department," Vincent started explaining, not wanting to tell more than absolutely necessary. "she was working on the Jenova Project with Hojo and Gast. I was assigned to protect them. After some time of working together, she married Hojo. She became pregnant with his child and they used their unborn child as a test subject for the Jenova Project. They injected the fetus with J-cells, and their experiment was a success. Months later, Sephiroth was born."

The gunman hid his face behind his cloak. He hadn't spoken this much in years, and it unsettled him.

Valon shook her head in disbelief. She couldn't understand how someone could use their own child as a mere experiment, the knowledge making her feel physically sick. She swallowed away the bile that was burning in her chest and exhaled slowly. It was probably thanks to her weariness, but she felt like crying.

"Please don't ever tell Seph," she pleaded, looking at Devon intently. The Turk nodded, agreeing this had to be kept secret. However, he still had some questions for the man called Vincent Valentine.

"I still don't understand how you're supposed to be like, what, forty-something years old but look no older than us. Not to mention that you were supposed to be dead. What happened?"

"I didn't agree with them turning the unborn child into a specimen, so Hojo decided to get rid of me. I should have been dead, but due to... circumstances, I evidently am not." the gunner shrugged. "Hojo does like his experiments, after all."

That was all the explanation the Turk needed. Devon nodded slowly in understanding. He wanted to ask him another question, but was silenced when Valon opened her mouth to speak.

"Hey, Vincent?"

The gunner only glanced at her. After a moment of silence, Valon shook her head and closed her eyes wearily.

"...never mind."

* * *

AN: So many guns to heads, ha! But yeah, I finally got to tell about how Valon became First, so yay for that haha

I hope you enjoyed and I will see you next chapter!


	21. XXI: The Shattered Soul

AN: A bit of a short chapter this time, sorry about that! Busy, busy.. I'll make it up to you guys by making the next chapter super long, okay?

* * *

 **XXI: The Shattered Soul**

"So..." Devon scratched the back of his head. "Who exactly is Jenova then?"

Vincent hid his face behind his red cloak and cleared his throat before explaining. "The calamity from the skies, they call her. Simply put, she's an extra-terrestrial being who infuses herself with the life force of a planet to destroy said planet."

"She's an alien?" Valon knit her eyebrows together in a frown when Vincent nodded affirmatively.

"Let me get this straight," Devon stood and paced around in frustration. "Sephiroth's mother is Lucrecia, not Jenova. Jenova is an alien who is trying to kill our planet like some kind of virus?" he summed up, speaking faster than usual.

Again, the gunman nodded.

"And you know all of this... how exactly?"

"As I told you before, I knew Lucrecia. She-"

"Bullshit," Devon snorted. "I'm not buying it. From what I gather, Lucrecia didn't know what Jenova really was and it doesn't seem like Hojo knows any of this either. However much I hate to say this, Hojo is absolutely brilliant, so you knowing more than him seems fishy. What are you hiding, vampire boy?"

Vincent pulled his red headband down, his eyes the only part of his face still visible between the cloak and headband. "I'm... It's Chaos."

"Chaos?" Valon rose her eyebrows curiously. The gunman sighed and shook his head, not liking where this was going. He had already said way too much. This had been his mission, his goal, his _purpose._ Surely the Turk and SOLDIER would only get in his way. The more they knew, the more dangerous his mission would be.

" _Think again,"_ the low timber Vincent despised so much, the annoying voice in the back of his mind spoke to him.

Speak of the devil, the gunman thought.

" _Think about it,"_ the demon continued. _"They were the Kalm innkeepers in the other life, right? Then why, pray tell, are they standing before you, clearly not keeping inns?"_

" _Things are more different than we thought they would be,"_ Vincent answered in his mind's voice when he understood what the demon was getting at. The demon only hummed before returning to his place in the darkest parts of the gunner's being, leaving only the annoying throbbing that proved his presence behind.

"It's of no importance now," Vincent answered to the duo. "For now, there's nothing more you can do here. Go back to Shinra and keep a close eye on Sephiroth. I'll deal with the... situation here."

The gunman stalked towards the stairway, his back turned to the SOLDIER and Turk. He put his foot on the first step and halted, turning slightly to continue talking.

"I'll contact you once I made progress."

"How?" Devon asked.

"You'll see. Now go."

The two followed his orders without another word. They stopped by Mrs. Strife's house for lunch and stepped in the helicopter an hour later. Valon plopped down in her seat with a groan, not even bothering to hide how irritated she was. She settled herself against the window and closed her eyes. Weariness soon overtook her, the calm of sleep tugging at her being. However, she jerked up when the helicopter took off and stared at Devon wide-eyed. The Turk only looked at her questioningly.

"Dev!"

"What?"

"We forgot to check what was inside of that vault..." Devon snorted, but shook his head.

"Too late for that now. Get some sleep, you need it. We'll be back at Shinra in the evening." Valon groaned in irritation, but obeyed the Turk either way. She settled herself against the window again and closed her eyes, but she couldn't sleep. The annoying buzz in her mind had turned to that voice again, repeating the same words over and over in a haunting mantra.

 _killtheson_

* * *

Genesis lazily took a bite from his food as he flipped a page of his book. He hadn't even planned on reading it today, but when Sephiroth and Angeal their discussion became even more heated, he found himself with his eyes on the pages, drowning out the conversation at the table.

It wasn't that he wasn't interested, oh no. If you asked him, the Lieutenant's resurrection was very interesting indeed. However, he just didn't feel like dealing with their shit today.

He always found solace in reading Loveless. It was an obsession, he knew it was, but he didn't care. He just knew there was significance to the words. More so, he knew the epic held significance to him, personally. The tale of the three friends was so parallel to himself and the two bickering men in front of him... How could he not be obsessed?

"There is no hate, only joy," he cited, starting the two men out of their discussion. "For you are beloved by the Goddess."

"Loveless, act two," the gruff rumble that was the General's voice stated matter-of-factly. Genesis smirked and closed his book. He took another bite of his food, enjoying the silence for however long it would last. He was glad the puppy wasn't here, he mused as he chewed the meat. Wherever the boy went, the noise seemed to follow. The youth was just too damn energetic.

Now that he thought about it, Zack hadn't been following the Firsts around nearly as much lately. Not that he was complaining, Genesis cherished the peace and quiet after all, but it was unsettling. The boy went wherever his mentor went, after all. Perhaps Angeal always carried a chain of sausages around his neck to keep the puppy close.

The redhead snorted at the thought.

Deciding to try and satisfy his curiosity, he glared at the raven-haired Commander.

"Say, Angeal, where in the world is that pet of yours?"

Angeal swallowed his food before answering, taking his sweet time in doing so.

"Since the terrorist attack, Zack has been training with Cloud on a daily basis," he explained. Genesis only nodded before taking the last bite of his food. The puppy had almost lost the chocobo boy in the fire. It was only natural for them to want to spend more time together. Still, the situation was amusing to the red-haired Commander.

"The student has become the master, it seems. Anyways," he opened his book again, although he wasn't reading. It was out of habit, really. "Any news on the Wutaian terrorist?"

Sephiroth, who had been quiet through their short conversation, cleared his throat. "Heidegger wants him publicly executed," the General explained. "After, he wants the remains sent back to Wutai as a warning."

"How primitive," Genesis snorted. Sephiroth nodded while wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"Primitive and foolish. Such actions will only provoke Wutai."

"You think there'll be war, then?"

"I think the war started the second that bomb went off."

Nobody said anything after the General's statement. Genesis tried to distract himself with his book again, but the lines were blurred in his unfocused attempt. Truth be told, the redhead always wanted to become a hero. War would most certainly provide him with a prime opportunity to do just that. However, despite his selfishness -and he knew very well how selfish he was-, the prospect of war made him feel uneasy. Such mindless bloodshed wouldn't be worth becoming a hero for, not even to Genesis.

He was selfish, arrogant and, as Valon would put it, an ass, but he wasn't a bad person.

He flipped the page and sighed. Although the words were still a blur, one in particular caught his eye He jumped up, knocking over his chair as it fell to the ground with a loud clatter.

"Genesis?" Angeal jumped up as well.

"Beloved by the Goddess..." Genesis murmured as he stared at Sephiroth wide-eyed. The Silver General raised his sculpted eyebrows in question as Genesis raked his hands through his hair. "For you are beloved by the Goddess... You-"

"Angeal! Angeal, are you there?" a voice behind the door interrupted him. "Angeal, it's Zack. Please open the door!"

"Zack?" Angeal asked as he walked over to the door. Genesis kept his eyes locked with Sephiroth, not quite able to find the words he wanted to say. He didn't get the chance to think, however, as Angeal roughly grabbed his wrist and waved Sephiroth over at the same time.

"Valon is back."

* * *

Sephiroth rose his eyebrows when Genesis dramatically jumped from his seat. He felt the corner of his mouth twitch when the redhead stared at him with wide eyes as he muttered the same Loveless quote from before. The General was about to open his mouth to interrupt the incoherent rambling when there was a knock on the door, followed by a familiar voice yelling Angeal's name. The Commander opened the door to reveal a very enthusiastic Zack and a shy little blond hiding behind him.

"Valon is back," Zack jumped a little at his statement. "Their helicopter is about to land on the helipad!"

Sephiroth's heart skipped a beat as he jumped up. He grimaced when his chair fell to the floor with a loud thud, but quickly shook it off. He stalked past Genesis and stepped in his boots, not bothering to tie them. Then, he stormed past the puppy and the chocobo and took a right towards the stairs. Skipping multiple steps at a time, he reached the roof in record time.

His hair was violently whipped around himself as the helicopter hovered above him. With one hand he pulled his mane back, nearly missing the soft chuckle behind him through the noise of the blades.

"Never seen you in such a hurry," Angeal grinned. Sephiroth stared at him blankly before shrugging indifferently. He turned his attention to the helicopter again. Truth was, he felt a little embarrassed at his sudden rush. Perhaps he had missed the Lieutenant more than he thought.

Genesis, who still looked a little pale from his previous outburst, walked up to Sephiroth and stood next to him. Zack and Cloud stood further back, Zack leaning against the door with a goofy smile on his face as Cloud shifted his weight from one foot to the other in nervousness.

When the helicopter landed, the Turk stepped out first. He lazily saluted the welcoming party and took a few long strides towards them. Sephiroth paid him no mind, his eyes still locked on the machine where Valon was taking her sweet time. She slowly stepped out, stretched and yawned loudly before turning to the men. She flashed them a bright smile as she walked up to them. Sephiroth involuntarily took a step forward, feeling his lips quirk upwards when she quickened her pace. When she reached him, she halted for a salute, but Sephiroth really couldn't care less about formalities. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her from the ground, grinning when she yelped in surprise but wrapping her arms around his neck nonetheless.

"Hey Seph," she smiled as she kissed his forehead.

"Hey you," Sephiroth responded. He lowered her to the ground so she could stand on her own two feet, stepping aside so she could greet her friends. Angeal walked up to her and lifted his arm to put it on her shoulder, but was started back when his wrist was painfully grabbed instead.

"Valon?"

Valon cocked her head to the side and stared at him without emotion. She pursed her lips a little in thought.

"Val, what are you-" Angeal was cut short when the woman twisted his wrist, forcing the man on his knees in pain.

"Angeal!" Sephiroth barked, but quickly came to regret his action as Valon's icy gaze was turned to him instead. She released Angeal's wrist and took a few steps towards Sephiroth. The General held his hands up defensively, her expression sending shivers down his spine. He'd only ever seen her look like that once before, when she had pointed a gun at Hojo's face.

"Valon, listen to me," he spoke slowly, but his words didn't seem to register as she took another step forward. She wrapped her hands around the hilt of her sword and drew it, not once taking her eyes off of his. She raised the sword towards him, not yet close enough to actually reach him, but with each step she took Sephiroth felt his heartbeat quicken. She tilted her head to the side again, a humourless smile on her lips.

"Kill the son."

* * *

AN: I have absolutely nothing to say about this. Stay tuned for the next chapter!


	22. XXII: The Calamity and the Puppet

AN: I'm so, _so_ sorry for this chapter taking so long. I've been drowning in work (I work multiple jobs) and I've been sick and uugh. To get back into writing (and just for fun, really) I started a "Flaws of Mortality: Side Quests" story series. I'll be filling that one up with prompts, oneshots and parts of the story that didn't make the cut. Be sure to check out my profile for those!

Nonetheless I hope y'all enjoy this chapter. It's been _long_ overdue.

* * *

 **XXII: The Calamity and the Puppet**

Cloud's breath hitched in his throat when the Lieutenant grabbed the raven-haired Commander's wrist. An eerily familiar aura radiated from the woman, reminding him of what had gotten them in this mess to begin with. He eyed the spectacle nervously, not wanting to step out of line. However, when Valon drew her weapon, aimed it at at Sephiroth and whispered something about killing the son, Cloud couldn't just stand back and watch. He snatched Zack's standard-issue broadsword and charged at the Lieutenant with a loud yell.

Cloud skidded to a halt when he reached the General and stood before him, his sword raised defensively. Valon only smiled a humourless grin at the interruption.

"Not yet," Cloud spoke, his words not aimed at Valon, Sephiroth nor anyone present.

Technically present, that was.

"Things are different now," he continued, his voice clearly showing how scared he really was. "Please, give us some time!"

The Lieutenant's mouth opened to speak, but the words never escaped her mouth. Instead, she blinked a couple of times as if just waking up from a nap. Blue and red darted from Cloud to Sephiroth to her own still-raised sword in confusion.

"What the-" she started, her eyebrows raised impossibly high. Cloud dropped Zack's sword and it hit the ground with a loud clatter. He exhaled a shaky breath and raked his hands through his hair. He watched as Angeal cautiously walked up to Valon and grabbed both her arms, locking her wrists behind her back.

"Angeal?" Valon looked over her shoulder in bewilderment as the raven-haired Commander handcuffed her.

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant, just to be safe," Angeal stated. Valon slowly dipped her head in a nod. Then, she turned to Sephiroth, who still had his hands slightly raised in defense.

"You attacked me," the General explained flatly. This however only seemed to confuse Valon more. She huffed and lowered to the ground, plopping down ungracefully onto her butt.

"Cadet Strife," the General turned his attention to Cloud, finally lowering his hands. Cloud felt the hairs in his neck raise when Sephiroth's stone-cold gaze was turned to him.

"Sir?" he croaked.

"You are going to explain everything to us. Leave no detail unspoken," the General turned towards the door in a whirl of silver and led them towards his own apartment. The group followed, the heavy thumps of military boots the only sound they heard.

Once inside, the General seated himself on the lone chair and motioned everyone to take a seat before he crossed his arms and legs. Again, the group obeyed. Devon, Zack and Genesis sat down on the couch and Angeal fetched some chairs from the dining room on which he and Cloud took seat. Only the handcuffed Lieutenant was still standing. Her eyes were glazed and her stance sloppy, only now the bags under her eyes clearly visible. At that moment, she looked ages older than she was.

"Seph, I-" she started, but Sephiroth shook his head. "I believe young Strife will tell us all. Sit," he ordered her. The Lieutenant nodded and she plopped down on the ground once more.

"Now, Cadet Strife, if you'd please," the General turned his glare at the blond youth again.

"I'm not really sure of everything myself," Cloud swallowed hard. His heart was beating wildly and he was sure he was turning to a dangerous shade of red. "but when I was young, uhm, this is going to sound crazy, but..." he looked at Zack through his eyelashes. His friend nodded his encouragement. Cloud exhaled another shuddery breath before he continued. "When I was a child, I often had these dreams. There was no picture, no images like a normal dream, right? It was just this voice, this lady speaking to me. She told me about these people she called the Calamity and the Puppet. She wanted them dead, but she was really vague about them."

Cloud scratched his head, trying to remember every detail. Which was very hard to do when a handful of supersoldiers was staring at him. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak again. "She told me to find someone. She called him the Dark One, and he was supposed to be the one to kill the Calamity and the Puppet. At first I thought, these are just dreams, yeah? But my curiosity won, so I went to look for this Dark One anyways. And well, I found him."

"This Dark One... Vincent Valentine?" Valon straightened herself. Devon also perked up. Cloud slowly nodded. Didn't Vincent say he couldn't be found yet? "How did you-"

"Bastard almost tried to kill me the other day. Twice, actually. Devon's got the hots for him though," Valon snorted.

"The other day?" Sephiroth cocked his eyebrows. "Weren't you in Kalm?"

"Eh, fuck," Valon cursed at her misstep. Well, no choice but to come clean now. "No, we never went to Kalm. We went to Nibelheim to find Jenova."

"Jenova? My mother?" the General rose from his seat. "She's supposed to be dead."

Valon shook her head. "Hojo told me about the Cetra and the Promised Land, about how the last living Cetra's cells were used in Mako, but he wouldn't give me any details, so I asked Devon to look it up for me. We discovered that these cells were J-cells and that those were from someone called Jenova. She was supposed to be in Nibelheim, so we went on a secret rescue mission."

"My mother is being held in Nibelheim? Did you find her? Where is she?" Sephiroth hissed. The temperature in the room appeared to drop drastically as the General's fingers twitched, looking for the comfort of his sword.

"No, no Seph, ehm..." Valon turned her gaze to the floor. "Jenova is not your mother. Your mother's name is, or was, Lucrecia."

"Was... I see," Sephiroth sat back down and rubbed his temples. "And you know all of this, how exactly?"

"Vincent Valentine," Valon sighed, her eyes still locked on the carpet.

"Man, this is confusing," Zack groaned as he stretched his limbs. "Lemme get this straight, some lady is invading Cloud's dreams, telling him about this creepy dude. This creepy dude turns out to be some asshole named Vincent Valentine, and this same dude attacks the Lieutenant _twice_ and then tells her about the General's real mother?"

"That about sums it up so far," Angeal agreed.

"And I'm the only one here who thinks you all have gone completely fucking mad on me?" Zack groaned again.

"I can add something to the crazy pile," Genesis snorted. "I tried to tell Angeal and Sephiroth this earlier, but I have reasons to believe that our beloved Lieutenant is the Goddess. Rather, some form of her. A human embodiment, being controlled by, something like that. I'm still working on the details."

Everyone stared at the redhead in puzzlement. Everyone, except Cloud. "That makes sense, actually. I always kind of believed this voice I heard was the Goddess, too, so she appears to play a huge part in this mess."

"It would explain why Valon was reincarnated. And why she totally seems to lose it every now and again since," Genesis crossed his arms. Again, Cloud nodded.

"Vincent told me about his Demon and the visions his Demon showed him. He saw you, sir," he turned towards the General. "you killed thousands while under the control of the Calamity, and you summoned this Meteor that nearly destroyed the entire Planet. But I don't think they were visions, because some details just don't add up. For one, the existence of the Lieutenant. She was never there, so I actually think they are memories."

"Memories?" Angeal asked.

"You know how they say history is bound to repeat itself? Well, I think that's not too far off from the truth. I think that this Demon is an entity as old as the Gods, that he was there when the Sephiroth from who knows how many thousands of years ago tried to destroy the world."

"And you believe the Goddess is trying to prevent all this?" Sephiroth, still rubbing his temples, huffed.

"This is getting more and more confusing," Devon groaned. "Val, what do you think? Eh, Val?" he rose his eyebrows when Valon calmly stared about the room, the same emotionless expression she wore only moments ago. The same, soulless eyes as when she had attacked Hojo and Sephiroth.

"The game is over, then?" she said calmly, but it wasn't her voice. Her voice was soft and gentle, but the sound was almost deafening, piercing their ears as if it were a thousand people speaking at once, but it had a soothing quality, almost lulling them to a dreamless sleep with every word that escaped her lips. Everyone turned their attention to the black- and white haired woman who almost looked bored when she spoke.

"Things have gone far out of my control, I fear," she sighed. "First and foremost, I should introduce myself. My name is Minerva."

* * *

AN: The plot thickens!


	23. XXIII: Minerva

**XXIII: Minerva**

"Thousands of years ago, an alien creature traveled through space. Using a meteor as its vessel, it landed on Gaia. This alien then approached the Cetra. The Cetra were an ancient race with a special connection to the Planet, and their abilities were both grand and dangerous. The alien learned their abilities and used these abilities to destroy them, taking the form of a fallen Cetra and so getting close enough to destroy their loved ones. The creature destroyed nigh all Cetra. While humans fled and hid away, the last few surviving Cetra banded to defeat this creature and locked it away in the North Crater. There, it would lie dormant for millennia. But despite their victory, the Cetra civilization was lost and their numbers dwindled to almost nothing. As time wore on, humans spread over the Planet once more, and humanity forgot about the creature as the Cetra fell into legend.

"Two-thousand years later, the Shinra Electric Power Company was seeking a more efficient way to harvest the Mako that made them the rulers of the Planet. They discovered the Cetra legend of the Promised Land and thus delved into research, studying the race that was thought long extinct. Their research went on for years, but the progress was poor and their knowledge still lacking. However, during an unrelated research on the North Crater, a Shinra employee found the remains of the alien creature. This man mistook it for a Cetra and named it Jenova. Thus, the J.E.N.O.V.A. Project was born. This project became an effort by a number of Shinra scientists to use the alien cells to create a human-Cetra hybrid. They believed this hybrid would lead them to the Promised Land, but of course they were unsuccessful.

"However, those treated with Jenova's cells proved to be superhuman, soldiers of unmatchable strength and stamina. Thus, SOLDIER was born. There was one SOLDIER, better than all the others, born from injection at fetal stage. His name was Sephiroth. Sephiroth was Shinra's most prized experiment, but he was a broken man. Strong, incredibly so, and intelligent beyond compare, but his mind was weak. After discovering his true parentage, he opened himself to the darkness and Jenova took control. Sephiroth lost his mind and free will and, under Jenova's command, he went on a killing spree. He burned down the small town of Nibelheim and set out to free his ' _mother_ ' from the Nibelheim reactor. However, a young boy born in the Nibel mountains and burdened with his destiny to save the world, slew the alien's Puppet. He fell down into the Lifestream, the alien's severed head clutched tightly to his chest.

"Everyone thought both him and Jenova dead, but five years later the Puppet took action. Merged with the Lifestream, the blood of the Planet, the Puppet took control of Jenova's main body. He morphed the body into a vessel of his likeness and, with his new body, murdered President Shinra. Then, Jenova escaped into the outside world. The boy from the mountains, a youth no more, chased the vessel around the world, but he failed to stop it. The Puppet summoned Meteor, the Ultimate Destruction, and it set course to Gaia. With it, the Puppet hoped to wound the Planet so greatly it would summon the Lifestream to heal its wounds. This would allow the Puppet to absorb the Livestream and become a god-like being. But before Meteor could crash into Gaia, the mountain boy and his party were able to defeat both _mother_ and _son_. However, Meteor was still falling. With no way of stopping it, all the humans could do was wait for the end.

"But then, the Chosen Day came. In the end, the Planet itself made the battles stop. The Planet used the Lifestream as a weapon, the lifeblood of Gaia burst out of the earth and destroyed Meteor. With that, the ware came to an end. Thousands upon thousands of years have passed since, and history is indeed repeating itself. Thus, to prevent the same tragedy from happening again, I took action. I sought out three warriors to do my bidding; the Planet's Chosen, the Dark One and the Sacrifice. The Planet's Chosen, the youth from the Nibel Mountains reincarnated. His fate passed onto him, once more destined to save the world. Second, The Dark One. I had no choice but to seek him out. The Demon-man named Chaos was destined to reside within him and the Demon has a macabre sense of humour. Thus I needed to be close to keep Chaos in line, to make sure he wouldn't feed his Host with lies. Besides that, even I must admit that the Demon is strong. With him as my ally, my chances at succeeding are a great lot more favourable.

"Lastly, my greatest regret, the Sacrifice. I needed a host to act out my will. I sought out a human whose life had no purpose other than to live and die and granted them the curse of immortality. I split my soul and merged it with theirs, making them immune to Jenova's influence through the Mako injected and giving them power beyond compare to fulfill my wishes. She has done her part well so far, and for that, I'm grateful at least. However, the Planet's Chosen was right. The situation is different from before, and the Planet is wounded still. I had not anticipated the scars from the past events to run so deep, and before Gaia was fully healed, Shinra was born once more.

"Had I known this sooner, I would have acted before the Shinra Electric Power Company came to be. That was my greatest mistake. However, the greatest damage can still be prevented. For this, I need the blood of three to stain the earth. Namely, the _father_ , the _mother_ and the _son_. They must die."

Silence filled the room as everyone contemplated the words Minerva had spoken. It was Sephiroth who first opened his mouth.

"I have no intentions to die," he said flatly.

"Surely you must understand that it's for the greater good. Your death could possibly save the lives of millions, of the very Planet herself," the Goddess responded.

"I'll gladly kill Hojo's with my own two hands and I'm willing to travel to the other side of the Planet and back to destroy the monster that we call Jenova, but-"

"I understand, however-"

"No, I don't think you do," Sephiroth snorted uncharacteristically. "The Sephiroth from the past is a different man."

Minerva, through Valon, opened her mouth to retort once more, but Cloud's small voice interrupted her. "I, uhm, I don't think the General has to die."

"And why might that be?" Minerva sounded oddly defiant.

"Well, if Hojo is dead he can't manipulate Sephiroth anymore, right? And if he's dead, Sephiroth won't ever have to come close to Jenova so she can't take over his mind. If he stays away from her while we find and destroy her, there shouldn't be any reason for him to die, right?"

"Strife makes a good point," Sephiroth agreed. He crossed his arms and leant back. He saw Angeal nodding in the corner of his eye.

"And besides all that," the raven-haired Commander added. "It sounds to me like the Sephiroth from the past didn't have anything to protect, like he had nothing to keep him sane. Now he has all of us to pull him back if need be," he spread his arms as if to prove his point. "and he most definitely has someone to protect. More specifically, the one you call the Sacrifice."

"You love her, then?" Minerva asked. Without even thinking about it, Sephiroth dipped his head in a curt nod.

"Very well then," the Goddess agreed. "But you must understand that I cannot take any more risks than I already have. If I suspect you too weak to resist Jenova's pull, I will kill you."

The General nodded again.

"Then, I shall leave matters in your hands. One day, I hope you will forgive me for all of this. Farewell," Valon's head dipped in a respectful bow. A heartbeat later, she slumped forward. She groaned when her face hit the carpet and she clutched her head with both hands, not bothering to move from her uncomfortable position.

"Oh Gaia, my head," she hissed. With one eye shut tightly in pain she lifted her head and looked around the group. Everyone was ghastly pale, even Zack's tanned skin looked like porcelain.

"Anyone care to tell me what the fuck is going on?"

* * *

AN: To make up for my long ( _long_ ) break, I decided to upload two chapters tonight. I'm not entirely happy about the previous chapter, but this one kind of makes up for that I hope.

Oh Gaia how could I forget to tell y'all this Q-Q I got my Final Fantasy VII tattoo last week! Here it is: tinyurl (dotcom) (slash) ff7tat


	24. XXIV: A Somber Morrow

AN: Hey guys! I already added it as an edited footnote in the previous chapter, but since maybe some of you might not have seen it yet, I'm adding it again up here. I just wanted to show off my new tattoo! It's over at tinyurl (dotcom) (slash) ff7tat

Edit: Ahh I forgot to do this! I wanted to thank SOLDIERSAngel87 for the lovely reviews on the previous two chapters. You have no idea how happy they made me *^* thank you so much! 3

Now without further ado, on with the story. Enjoy!

* * *

 **XXIV: A Somber Morrow**

Sephiroth raked his hands through is hair and sighed deeply. He wanted to close his bedroom door but decided against it. Valon's mind was dangerously instable, so if she were to wake up and try to harm herself, he wanted to hear and see it, to be close enough to calm her if need be. He took a few long strides into the living room, grabbed the chair he was previously seated in and dragged it back to his bedroom door. He turned it so he had clear sight within the room and sighed once more. When they had told Valon of their conversation with Minerva, she had paled dangerously. Then, she had excused herself, made her way to the bathroom and got violently sick before she passed out, the strain on mind and body too great. And really, who could blame her.

"We have a lot to discuss," the General's voice was nothing more than a low whisper. Everyone else was still seated in the living room, but none dared to speak. All of their minds were occupied with the evening's events, and but one question hung unasked in the air.

 _What now?_

They all wanted to look at Sephiroth for the answer, despite there being more than one naturally born leader in their midsts, Angeal being the most prominent example, but Sephiroth was _their_ leader.

"Zack," the General broke the silence that hung heavily over them, threatened to suffocate them like a thick blanket of snow. "escort Cloud back to the barracks. It's almost curfew and we don't want to raise suspicion."

"But-," Cloud tried to protest, but was quickly silenced when Sephiroth's weary gaze was turned back to the room, silently dismissing anything he wanted to say. Without further protest the two boys got up from their seats. Cloud softy bid the others a good night and after one last glance at the Silver General, they were gone.

"I think we all know which path we will follow," Sephiroth stated calmly. "but we must plan thoroughly, we can't afford to make mistakes."

"So," Angeal rose and walked over to his silver-haired friend. He put his hands on Sephiroth's shoulders and squeezed gently, the slightly louder than usual breath the latter exhaled wordlessly thanking the Commander for his ever-calming presence. "Who do we kill first?"

"Hojo and the President. We also have to take out the executives."

"All the heads of each department?" Devon asked. Sephiroth shook his head.

"Only the corrupt ones, Scarlet and Heidegger mostly. We might have to kill Tseng, too, might he decide to oppose our mutiny. Though I pray we won't have to, we could use him as our ally."

"What about the President's son?" Genesis knit his eyebrows together in thought. Did they have to kill the boy, too?

"He has nothing to do with the sins of his father," Sephiroth stated. "Besides, he's still young. We can mold him into the president we want him to be. No, the boy lives."

"That leaves Reeve Tuesti, then."

"I trust Reeve. Truth be told, I actually believe he would approve of our actions. He's been wanting to change the company for years, albeit silently and from the inside," Devon explained. With a nod, the Silver General agreed.

"In fact," he added to the Turk's statement, "I think he would make a fine president in this time of crisis. Until Rufus comes of age, that is."

"That's settled then," with one last squeeze, Angeal finally released Sephiroth's shoulders and made his way to the kitchen where he made a full pot of coffee. This would be a long night, after all.

"We have to kill them all at the same time," Sephiroth was again the first to break the silence. If we kill them one by one, we'll give them too much time to flee."

"If you'll allow me, oh fearless leader, I'd love to test my Rapier on the President," Genesis scoffed. Sephiroth only nodded.

"I'll take Hojo. I have too many... affairs to settle with that man."

"Who d'ya want me to kill, boss?" Devon leaned back in his seat.

"No-one. I need you with the Turks, and more importantly, with Tseng. Make sure they won't interfere. Also, I need you to disable all security camera's around where we will execute our missions. Disable all alarms, too."

"You got it."

"Angeal could take on Heidegger," Sephiroth continued. Through his planning, he had not once taken his eyes off of his bedroom, and more specifically, the moving lump underneath the blankets. Had he even blinked? He wasn't sure. "Also, if Valon is stable enough, I'm sure she'd enjoy maiming Scarlet."

" _If_ she's stable enough," Genesis repeated, putting the emphasis on 'if'. Again, Sephiroth only nodded.

"What about Zack and Cloud? As much as I want to protect them, they're much too involved in this mess already," Angeal scratched his beard, his frown making him look years older than he was.

"However much they are involved, these sins are ours to bear. I don't want them partaking in the bloodshed," Sephiroth calmly answered, much to Angeal's relief and approval.

"They could round up Tuesti and Rufus," Genesis suggested.

"Agreed," Sephiroth sighed for the umpteenth time that evening. Then, he finally tore his gaze away from his sleeping betrothed and locked eyes with Angeal. "Thank you for the coffee, but I think it best for us to sleep now. We have a lot to think about."

"The arrow has left the bow of the Goddess," Genesis absentmindedly recited.

"Loveless, Act four."

"Hmm," the redhead gave a hint of a smile before he rose. He patted his co-Commander on the shoulder and started towards the door.

"We'll speak more of this tomorrow," the General turned his face to the bedroom once more. "Angeal, please fill Zack in."

"Yes sir," Angeal saluted before he too turned towards the door. Mimicking the raven-haired commander's gesture, albeit in his trademark lazy way, Devon followed suit.

"One more thing," Sephiroth stopped his friends. "Not a word I have spoken this evening, not a single plan made, is an order. Do you understand?"

The three men nodded in understanding; ' _this is your chance to back out.'_

None of them would take him up on that offer.

* * *

Sephiroth sat in silence for a little while longer. He wasn't thinking of anything specifically, his mind oddly blank. After minutes -or possibly an hour, he had lost all sense of time-, and only due to a soft whimper coming from the bed, he rose. He cleaned his apartment on auto-pilot, he returned the chairs Angeal had taken from the kitchen, poured the coffee they hadn't even touched through the drain and cleaned the pot. Then, he made his way to the room he'd been staring at for the past few hours -or was it minutes?- and stripped down to his underwear, not bothering to put his clothes away, or fold them even. He quickly slipped under the blanket and scooted over to the pale and sweating woman. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her as close to his chest as he could without hurting her. Exhaling a shuddery breath, he buried his face in her black- and white hair and inhaled her scent deeply.

It was odd, how so many terrible events were the reason he had come to realize how much he held her dear.

He opened his eyes when two slim arms wrapped around his and squeezed tightly.

"Seph?" a small voice, broken and shaky. She turned around in his embrace and looked up. Then, she gently lay her hand, her small, soft hand, on his cheek. Sephiroth only tightened his hold on her.

"Just like this, just for a little while," she begged. He gently caressed her back in reply, unsure what to do, what he _could_ do. So he just held her, just like this, for longer than a little while.


	25. XXV: Heidegger

AN: Hey everyone! Just wanted to let you guys know I made a little drawing inspired by the previous chapter! You can find it on my tumblr, ryuzakira-sketchblog is the url :)

Also, today's chapter is a little short, but I'll try and post another chapter tomorrow to make up for that.

That's all I had to say today, so thank you for reading and enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **XXV: Heidegger**

When the blades of the helicopter started spinning loudly above him, Devon had half a heart to turn back. Partially because he really, _really_ wanted to witness the deaths of all the corrupt bastards that were his superiors, partially because he hated to leave matters in SOLDIER's hands. No matter how capable those hands were. Assassinations were a Turk's job, and here he was, most definitely not murdering someone.

Yet.

He shouldn't complain though. A change of plans was rarely a good thing, but Gaia be blessed, they had luck on their side. Or a Goddess. Probably both.

Either way, he wasn't surprised that Tseng had found out what they were planning. The Wutaian man had ' _sensed something had been amiss_ ' when Devon had asked -bullied him, rather- for a week of leave. So he had planted a microphone into his right hand's PHS. He had heard everything, from their conversation with Vincent Valentine (and of course, Tseng had recognized the legendary man) to what Minerva had told them. Tseng knew all. And so, the day before their plans would be set in motion, the Wutaian had taken Devon aside and had wordlessly shut down all camera- and alarm systems on both the executives' floor and President Shinra's office.

His job done for him, Devon had returned to the General's apartment where they decided the Turk should go to Nibelheim to fill Valentine in, and if he had time, find out where Jenova was hidden. Since the red-cloaked gunman appeared to know more than he let on, Devon was sure the man had at least a vague idea where they had to look for the psycho alien bitch.

That would simplify things, at least.

So far, things were going smoothly. All cards were being played in their favour. They had Tseng's full support, and thus an entire army of Turks would have their backs. Their targets were currently in the exact locations they needed them to be and Valon appeared to be fine, if not more motivated than he'd seen her in a long time. Despite all that, Devon felt uneasy. However, Turks were extraordinarily good at switching their emotions and personal feelings off, so he did just that. Everything that was about to happen at the Shinra Headquarters was out of his control now, so he would focus on the task at hand.

Truth be told, he was actually looking forward to meeting Vincent Valentine again.

* * *

Stealth had never been Angeal's strong suit. He never expected himself to be good at it, either way. With his impressive height, towering even over Sephiroth, and not to mention his extremely muscular physique, there was no way he would be good at blending in with the shadows. But all that didn't matter. Today, he didn't need to be sneaky.

He walked through the corridors in his usual way, smiling politely at all who passed him and taking his time to make some small-talk with those who greeted him. His mission was time-sensitive, but he still had plenty.

With the comforting weight of the Buster Sword on his back working strangely motivating, he straightened himself once he reached his goal.

Heidegger's office.

He knocked on the door, two quick taps with his knuckles. He could just burst in, but he wanted to keep up the facade as long as possible. No need to get innocent people involved, after all.

"Come in," came the answer from the other side. The Commander rolled his shoulders before he opened the door, walked in and shut it again.

"Commander Hewley, what can I-" Heidegger was instantly silenced when Angeal locked the door. The fat man jumped up and slammed his fists on his desk. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I have but one small question, sir," Angeal replied casually. He crossed his arms and shifted his weight onto one foot. "What can you tell me of the Promised Land?"

Heidegger turned an unhealthy shade of white, then red and eventually purple. "I don't know what you're talking about. You-"

Again, he was silenced. This time because Angeal gently wrapped his fingers around the hilt of his beloved blade.

The green-clad man threw his hands in the air, his skin as pale as porcelain once more. "What are you doing? Hewley, this is madness!"

The raven-haired Commander pulled his blade free from the magnets on his back and aimed it at Heidegger. With each step he took, Heidegger took one back. And another, and another, until his back was pressed against his large office window. When the Buster Sword came dangerously close to his face, he again turned red and then purple.

"Tell me what you want, I can take care of it. Money, land, anything, but please-"

"I think you misunderstand, sir." Angeal shook his head. "There's but one thing I want, and that's for your heart to stop beating. It's nothing personal."

"Hewley!"

At that, Angeal kicked the fat man square in the chest, breaking not only his sternum, but also the glass he was pressed against. The Commander watched the man's face twist into a horrible expression as he realized what had happened, and then he watched him fall. He watched him fall faster and faster, he watched him flailing his arms and kicking the air with his short, stubby legs as he plummeted from the sixty-sixth floor, all the way down to his certain death. Angeal watched it all, counting the seconds as they crawled by, and just before Heidegger was about to hit the ground, he turned around. He gently put the Buster Sword on his back again, scoffing to himself as he did.

He had never even planned to use his beloved blade to kill him.


	26. XXVI: Scarlet

**XXVI: Scarlet**

They had started their day as if the past few weeks never happened, as if the events of the day never were going to happen. Sephiroth had woken Valon with a kiss on the forehead and a cup of coffee for the both of them. After an incoherent groan the silver-haired man assumed had meant "Good morning, thanks for the coffee,", he seated himself on the bed. They drank the dark substance in comfortable silence before they got dressed, after which Valon had made a hearty breakfast, baking a traditional Kalm bread that filled their apartment with its enticing smell. They had eaten together, still enjoying the silence together. It was still early, oh-six-hundred by the time they were done eating, and most people living on the premises were still sleeping or just about to wake up. This was the very reason the General and his SiC usually woke up before even the Gods did – calm and silence were a rarity when living in the Shinra building, so they enjoyed it while it lasted.

After eating their fill of the sugary bread, Sephiroth made them another cup of coffee and placed it in front of the Lieutenant, who now did thank him for the drink.

"It's been a while since we've enjoyed breakfast in peace, hasn't it?" Valon commented as she was blowing at her coffee, trying to get the drink to cool off before taking a sip. Sephiroth agreed with a soft hum.

"The last time was before your escort mission with Scarlet, if I recall correctly."

"Hmm," Valon sighed, taking another sip of her coffee. Truth be told, she felt conflicted. After everything that had happened, she knew the path they were about to walk was the correct one. They were the ones who had to save the world and all that, and for that, they had to make some sacrifices. In this case, the lives of the Shinra executives. It wasn't a secret that the Lieutenant hated the Head of Weapons Development, so she wouldn't grieve the woman's death. However, she valued life and despised bloodshed.

The Monochrome Lieutenant chuckled at the irony.

She knew the woman had to die, though. Sephiroth explained to her that the corrupt executives would see the death of the President as an opportunity to rise to power themselves, and they couldn't risk a mutiny upon their own.

"How are you feeling?" Sephiroth inquired, the question oddly simple for what he was hinting at. The past few days had been a rough ride, while planning their moves they had to keep up a facade, going to work every day and doing what they were told to do by the very same people they were going to kill in just a few days, and it was taking its toll on the black- and white haired woman. She was tired and emotionally unstable, she had found herself lashing out at innocent people at random times, every minor annoyance making her fingers twitch, looking for the comfort of her blade.

Luckily, most people were pinning her behaviour on their workload. However, the rumour mill had started turning the second she had snarled at a SOLDIER Second named Jeffrey Parcel, a man whom had worked under her command numerous times. They weren't friends, per say, but everyone knew they got along very well, so for her to yell at him was out of character. Ifrit's Hellfires, her yelling at _anyone_ was out of character. Thus, people started whispering.

Her relationship with the General was the most favoured subject.

Valon snorted.

"Did you know the SOLDIERs believe our marriage is falling apart?"

"We're not married," Sephiroth answered before taking a sip of his coffee. He couldn't hide the glint of amusement in his eyes as he stared over his cup at his betrothed.

"Yet," came the automatic reply. She couldn't help but grin at him. She downed her coffee in one large gulp and exhaled loudly. "Anyways, to answer your question," she rose, gathering the remnants of their breakfast and putting the dishes in the sink. "I feel fine. It's silly, but I'm just pretending all of this, the events of the past few weeks and everything that's to come, is just a dream. That once everything is over, once we kill the bad guys and save the world, I will wake up with you still snoring next to me."

"I don't snore," the General's lips quirked upwards ever so slightly. "But this is isn't a dream, and I don't believe pretending it to be can-"

Valon silenced him with a chaste kiss on the lips. "I know," she sighed. "I know it isn't, but the pretense helps me cope. Please let me have that."

Sephiroth cursed inwardly at himself.

"But enough about me," the Lieutenant took a seat across her superior and intently stared at him for a moment before continuing. "How are _you_ feeling? You're about to kill your father, and-"

"Forgive me for interrupting," Sephiroth interrupted, not looking apologetic at all. "but I really don't see him as my father."

"I know he's done horrible things to you, but..." she sighed, trying to find the right words. Now that she thought about it, she'd never learned to what extent Hojo had hurt the silver-haired man. She filed the question away, but she had to ask him about that sometimes soon. "No matter what he did, he's still family, you know?"

Sephiroth shook his head. "If there's one thing you, Angeal, Zack and even Genesis have taught me is that family isn't so much about blood ties than it is about unconditional loyalty, acceptance and love, no matter the circumstances."

Valon's expression softened at that, a gentle smile the General hadn't seen on her in a while now gracing her features.

They sat like that for a little longer, both enveloped in their own thoughts, until voices from outside the building officially ended the silence on the premises. Which also meant that it was time to set their plans in motion. Without a word, they rose from their seats. They grabbed their swords from their respective racks on the wall and put on their boots. With one last look around their apartment – they wouldn't come back for a while, after all-, Valon nodded to herself. She then turned and walked out to the hallway, Sephiroth closing the door behind them.

The General put his hands on her shoulder and squeezed, not quite as comforting as Angeal could, but it still soothed her nerves somewhat.

"Good luck, Lieutenant."

Valon snapped to a perfect salute. "You too, General."

Sephiroth nodded curtly and turned around. Valon watched the man walk away briskly, taking impossibly long strides as he disappeared around the corner in a whirl of silver and black. When she couldn't see him anymore, she made her way to the elevator and pressed the button that would take her to the sixty-sixth floor. She walked through the corridor, only momentarily stopping when she saw Angeal making small-talk with a secretary. The Commander saluted, the secretary bowed respectfully. She bid them a good morning with a bright smile and dismissed them with a wave of her hand. "As you were."

After exchanging one last look with the raven-haired Commander, she walked up to Scarlet's office, her pace a little quicker than usual. She knocked on the metal door and waited patiently for the invitation to enter. When she heard the Head of Weapons Development do just that, she wrapped her fingers around her still-sheathed sword before opening the door.

"Valon Harper, what in the world do you want with me this early in the morning?" Scarlet snarled before the Lieutenant had even closed the door. Despite her animosity, the red-clad woman stared at her intently, no doubt intrigued by Valon's reanimation only weeks prior. The Monochrome Lieutenant saluted.

"I came to check up on you, ma'am," she spoke smoothly. "we haven't spoken since the events on the Marshlands, and I haven't had the chance to see how you were doing after the attack. Not to mention the terrorist attack on the cadet compounds."

Scarlet rose her eyebrows in suspicion. Since when did the woman care about her well-being?

"I'm fine, but I don't see how-"

A soft "hmm" interrupted her. Valon turned around as if to leave, but instead of opening the door, she locked it. Scarlet instantly drew her weapon, although she kept it under her desk and hidden from the Lieutenant's view. Whatever this was, she didn't want to provoke her.

"I'm afraid that won't do," the Lieutenant sighed. She drew her sword and placed her forehead on the flat of the blade, mimicking Angeal's pose. It was a way of showing respect to your blade, the Commander had told her many years ago. And a way to apologize to your blade for making it shed blood that wasn't worthy.

"Are you going to kill me?" Scarlet's voice wavered a little. Valon turned around and dipped her head in a slow nod, her grip around the hilt of her nameless blade tightening.

"I'm afraid so."

"Why?"

The Lieutenant doubted for a moment, but decided against telling her. It would make absolutely no difference if she knew.

"It's a small comfort, but I'll try and make it painless."

Scarlet laughed. Loudly. Valon winced at the sound, the annoying "Kya Ha Ha!" would be echoing in her head for the rest of the day. Only because of that, she decided she'd make the executive's death a little more painful than she had intended. Only a little.

"You think I will cooperate?" Scarlet huffed as she slowly rose from her chair and aimed her gun at the Lieutenant.

"It would make my job easier," Valon shrugged.

"Make your job..." Scarlet's hand was shaking, and Valon couldn't help but snort seeing the gun wobble unsteadily in her hand. A nostalgic feeling crept up at her, the memory of her promotion to SOLDIER First still fresh, despite it being a long time ago. She had used the very same gun pointed at her now to 'win' the duel.

"You won't get away with this, the President will have your head!" Scarlet's voice roused her out of her nostalgia.

"The President will be dead by the time you are."

"But... But the Turks, they-"

"Who do you think disabled all the camera's and alarm systems around here? I'm sorry Scarlet, but it's over," she raised her sword and took a few steps towards her target. "If you-"

A gunshot interrupted her. Then another, and another, six in total. Valon didn't even wince when the bullets entered her body as she felt the Goddess' pull at her consciousness already, her mind focused on telling the Deity off. _They're non-fatal, the Mako will take care of it_ , she angrily thought. She opened her eyes again and cocked her eyebrow at the red-clad executive. Scarlet dropped the revolver, her hands shaking too much. Besides, the gun was useless to her now, all rounds were shot and had failed to kill her assassin. Valon studied her own blood with a bored expression for a moment before she shrugged it off, the bullets already being pushed out by her healing body and the pull at her mind already wavering.

When she took a couple of long steps forward, Scarlet dropped to the ground in fear. Her eyes widened as the Lieutenant crouched before her, the black- and white blade now pointed at her chest. The executive opened her mouth to speak again, but Valon didn't want to hear it. With one quick movement, she stabbed the red-clad woman through the chest, piercing her heart with terrifying accuracy. Then, she pulled her sword back, allowing the blood to flow freely. It only took mere seconds for Scarlet to slide and drop down, clutching her wound as she stared at the Lieutenant in shock. Another couple of seconds and one horrible, gurgling breath later, her eyelids fluttered shut.


	27. XXVII: President Shinra

**XXVII: President Shinra**

" _Focus," Sephiroth told his young Aide. She had been performing basic Kata for hours now, and her concentration was finally beginning to waver._

 _"Yes sir," she shook her head to clear her mind and picked up where she had left off. The General continued to watch her for a little while longer, but he didn't need to correct her form once. Being somewhat bored, he started to get swept away by his thoughts._

 _At first, Sephiroth had vehemently opposed their forced partnership. He did have need of an aide, the amount of busywork the higher-ups were giving him was getting way out of hand after all, but the actual reason why the female SOLDIER was working directly under him was all but disgusting if you asked the Silver General._

 _Not that anyone had actually asked him, but his point still stood._

 _Either way, it wasn't like he was repulsed by sex. As a matter of fact, he kind of missed it. It had been a while since he had ended his little fling with Genesis. It was fun while it lasted, but Sephiroth had wanted more than just meaningless sex._

 _He'd never realized how hard it would be for the General of SOLDIER to properly date someone._

 _After a handful of dates that had left him feeling miserable more than anything, he had given up. Hojo had told him he wasn't 'made' for things like that – hell, Hojo actually believed Sephiroth was incapable of feeling emotions entirely – and eventually, the silver-haired man started believing that statement, too._

 _But now, Hojo actually wanted him to have sex, or as the professor called it, breed._

 _All in all, Hojo was the main reason why the General refused. In the event that the girl would get pregnant (and Sephiroth highly doubted it was possible when a female has more Mako than blood in their system, but hey, he was no scientist), the professor would instantly lock her up in his labs and experiment on her for months. Or torture her, rather. As soon as she'd give birth, he'd discard her like dirt. After that, the experimenting, the **torture** would continue on the child. _

_Sephiroth's child._

 _The General knew what it was like to grow up in the labs, to be used as a specimen. He'd never willingly put a child through those horrors, let alone his own child._

 _In the end, they wouldn't be able to force him into compliance either way. Both Hojo and the President knew that both SOLDIER and the regular army's true loyalties lay with their General, and not with the company. If all things went to hell completely, his friendship with the Turk leader Tseng would even assure the silver-haired man of the suit's assistance. With that knowledge, the higher-ups would never be able to make Sephiroth do anything against his will. If they did try, they'd risk the wrath of SOLDIER, the army and the suit alike. The General only had to say the word._

 _In truth, Sephiroth had toyed with the idea of turning his back at the ShinRa the second Valon knocked on his door, a small bag with her belongings slung over her left shoulder and Hojo's hand squeezing the right in acted encouragement._

 _The only reason he hadn't decapitated his father on the spot was the pleading expression the young woman wore, silently telling him how sorry she was._

 _As if she had done anything to be sorry for._

 _He was roused out of his trip down memory lane by the clattering sound of a sword hitting the ground._

" _Ah, I'm sorry sir," Valon said as she held her right hand tightly. She looked down at her dropped sword guiltily._

" _What's wrong?" Sephiroth asked coolly._

" _Cramp, sir," the female SOLDIER replied, looking somewhat embarrassed._

" _I see," that had taken longer than expected. She'd been at it for hours._

 _When she bent over to pick up her sword, the General raised his hand._

" _Leave it. Sit," he ordered. She instantly plopped down onto the ground in an ungraceful motion. Sephiroth sat down in front of her and held out his hand. When she looked at him in confusion, he allowed himself to smile ever so slightly._

" _Your hand."_

" _Oh."_

 _He gently took her hand and started massaging her palm, trying to ease the cramping. They sat like that in uncomfortable silence for a while, Sephiroth massaged her fingers, hand, wrist and forearm while she took to studying the floor._

" _Uhm, sir?" she finally broke the silence, although she kept staring at the ground. "May I take a day of leave next week?"_

" _Why?" he asked coldly._

" _Eh, well," she started fidgeting with her shoelace. "Professor Hojo asked me to assist him with-"_

" _Absolutely not."_

" _But sir, the professor-"_

" _The professor isn't your direct superior. I am," Sephiroth hissed. "I don't want you to go anywhere near the labs when I'm not accompanying you. That's an order, Captain Harper, am I clear?_

" _Yes sir," she acknowledged with a small voice._

" _And stop calling me 'sir'," the General added to the order._

" _But sir, you're m-"_

" _I'd simply prefer you calling me by my name when we're alone. And don't make that face," he chuckled. "Only a handful of people are allowed to do that, you know?"_

 _She solemnly nodded in understanding. Silence filled the room once more, a little less uncomfortable this time. Sephiroth continued massaging her hand until she could painlessly move her fingers again. After that, he picked up the sword and rose. When she followed suit, he gave her the blade back._

" _That'll be enough for today," he dismissed her. He was about to turn around when she opened her mouth to speak, but quickly snapped it shut._

" _Speak your mind," he coaxed her._

" _Well, forgive me for asking si- no, Sephiroth," she smiled a little. "but why is it that you dislike professor Hojo so much?"_

 _After a short silence, Sephiroth sat back down on the ground again. He motioned her to sit down as well and then cleared his throat._

" _Tell me about your parents."_

 _Valon, clearly taking aback by the sudden turn in the conversation, scratched her head in thought. "Well, they owned the inn back in Kalm, my hometown. Though these days it's owned by the Jenkins family, I believe. When I was a kid, I used to help my parents out by serving dinner and such, and this once I spilled a hot stew all over poor Old Man Jenkins. The crazy cook thought he got attacked by Ifrit though, he started screaming things like 'Ya'll neva' drag me down to 'ell, ya blazin' motherf-" she stopped when Sephiroth cleared his throat softly. She smiled awkwardly before she continued._

" _Either way... My parents... Well, when I was still young, my father always told me stories about the distant past. He could tell the most wonderful tales of a grand beast called Sin, of how it tried to destroy the world a thousand times and how he was finally gone for good when a brave party conquered him. That story was my favourite, but he could tell many more. And my mom, well, I don't think I'll ever meet a kinder person than her. Back when they still owned the inn, she would always cook way too much food. At day's end, she would go downtown and give the leftovers to anyone who was hungry."_

 _There was a short silence which she used to smile, a lopsided grin directed at her memories._

" _When I was a kid, I used to have a lot of nightmares. Dreams of a mighty beast, or a grand explosion. Sometimes there was black snow, sometimes fire, sometimes both at once. I could dream of whisps much like those of the Lifestream, or of absolutely nothing at all, just the sound of a gunshot before I woke up screaming._

" _But no matter which dream, no matter if I woke up crying or screaming or both, my mother would always lie down next to me and hold me close. She would tell me they were just dreams and then sing songs and stroke my hair until I fell asleep again." she sighed softly. Then, she finally met Sephiroth's gaze. "Ah, but I'm rambling. Why did you want to know?"_

" _Because you asked me why I disliked Hojo so much."_

 _She rose her eyebrows in confusion. Sephiroth shook his head, his silver hair dancing around his face as he did._

" _When I was a child, there were no epic tales or hugs or warmth. Instead, there were scalpels and needles and cold examination tables."_

" _What?" her eyes widened in horror. Sephiroth chuckled and pushed himself from the ground, rising elegantly before he turned his back to his Aide._

" _I dislike- no, I hate Hojo because he's my father."_

* * *

Contrary to popular belief, Genesis didn't like to toy with his prey. Especially when his prey was a severely overweight man in his fifties who did nothing but sit on his fat ass, drink expensive alcohol and smoke cigars all day.

Even though Genesis had volunteered, no, _demanded_ to get the President as his target, he didn't have any personal qualms to settle with the man. Not that he cared if the President lived or died, he just didn't quite care about him in general. No, the reason why he wanted to be the one to kill the President personally was a very, _very_ petty one.

Genesis knew the President had a rare volume of his favourite play, Loveless. You see, the very final act was missing in just about every version of the play. Nobody knew how it had disappeared, where it had disappeared to or how the play was supposed to end. But this volume, bound in the finest of leathers, pressed with the blackest of inks, this one-of-a-kind book the President proudly owned, was rumoured to have the final act included. The redhead Commander doubted these rumours to be true, but even the slightest chance of finding the final act was worth just about everything. And since the President's private library was located right next to his office...

It would be a pain to have to run up and down just to grab it, after all.

Genesis snorted as he walked straight past the two Turks that were 'guarding' the President's office. He gracefully opened the door and strutted through. The president looked up from his bottle of alcohol and cocked his head in confusion. "Commander Rhapsodos?"

Genesis knew his friends would probably give their targets a long-winded speech about pride or honour or whatever before decapitating them. He didn't care much for small-talk though. He briskly crossed the humongous office and stopped in front of the President's desk. The fat man wanted to jump up, but Genesis simply grabbed his face to prevent him from doing so. He squished the man's fat cheeks for shits and giggles before he grew bored already.

"Fire."

He kept holding his face as the flames streamed out of his fingertips and he wouldn't let go of him until he was positively sure the President's face was completely melted off. He eventually stopped his casting, released his grip and wiped any residue of melted skin that stuck to his glove off on his victim's expensive suit. He took a moment to appreciate his handiwork before he curtly turned around. He made his way over to the President's, _ex-President's, rather_ , private library and took his sweet time looking for Loveless.

When he finally found it, he caressed the back with his thumb gently before storming off. As he left the library, he flipped through the pages, looking for the final act. However, it wasn't there.

Genesis snorted as he threw the book on the dead President's lap and then he finally left the office.

What a waste of time.

* * *

AN: Yaass firaga to the face! \o/ also, I painted Sephiroth (for the billionth time)! You can find it on my Tumblr! URL: ryuzakira-sketchblog


	28. XXVIII: Helletic

AN: The usual Hojo-chapter warning: Pseudo-science. I'm not entirely sure if I like how this chapter turned out. This one also felt like it took me _forever_ to write... I blame Hojo.

* * *

 **XXVIII: Helletic**

Professor Hojo was clicking his pen absentmindedly. He had been looking over the many papers that lay scattered on his desk, but no matter how long he stared at his own handwriting, he couldn't think of anything. His research had hit a brick wall.

He had multiple theories about the Monochrome Lieutenant's miraculous resurrection. One, there had never even been a resurrection at all. Instead of killing her, the Thunderbird had paralyzed her. Combined with the many injuries she had suffered, the Lieutenant had merely appeared to be dead.

At first, he had firmly believed this theory to be the correct one, the only logical explanation. However, after examining her only hours after the events, he had concluded that she _had_ been dead, _must_ have died. The amount of broken bones, the incredible blood loss and even a piece of shattered rib that had pierced her heart...

Not even Sephiroth would have survived that.

Hojo's second theory still made him cackle at the absurdity. The worst part was that he had actually considered it as a serious possibility. The theory? Divine intervention. Some God or Goddess, old or new, had decided it wasn't the girl's time yet.

The professor almost felt embarrassed for even considering it.

His third and final theory was both the most frustrating and the most likely one. As he had told the girl when she had awoken from her coma, the Mako SOLDIERs were infused with had an extra ingredient not many knew of; J-cells. These cells merged with the subjects' DNA, turning them into a hybrid. Not quite themselves anymore, but nothing like Jenova either. However, the more J-cells were added to the specimen's cellular makeup, the more their DNA would match Jenova's.

So far, he hadn't succeeded in creating a perfect copy. Each human had their own limit as to how many J-cells their respective bodies could tolerate. When this limit was reached, there were a couple of things that could happen. Mutation, Mako addiction, Mako poisoning or, if the specimen was lucky, a swift death.

Either way, there were four exceptions to the rules. Angeal Hewley and Genesis Rhapsodos had both broken the previously recorded ceiling, their DNA both well over sixty percent Jenova, forty percent their own. Then, there was his own son. He had broken all of those numbers by a spectacular amount. Despite his incredibly high tolerance, he had mutated as well, his hair not black as it by all means should have been and his eyes were cat-like. Usually, mutations meant the beginning of the end, the first sign of degradation and eventual death for the specimen.

But not for Sephiroth.

Lastly, the fourth exception, was the enigma that was Lieutenant Valon Harper. Just like Sephiroth, she had mutated. However, unlike the General, she had appeared to have an abysmally low tolerance, mutating at the first drop of Mako that entered her body. By all means, she should have died right then and there.

But she hadn't. She had recovered incredibly quickly and eventually became not only the first and only female SOLDIER, but Lieutenant of the army and Sephiroth's Second-in-Command.

However, there was no trace of Jenova to be found in her cells.

Hojo had discovered this only a short time ago. Because of how well she had responded to the Mako treatments, the professor had firmly believed the girl would become the closest he had ever been to creating a Jenova copy. And so, he had started injecting her more and more frequently. All seemed to go well, during the last tests her cellular makeup had been a very promising seventy percent Jenova, thirty percent her own. But after her resurrection, her DNA had almost appeared as it if went back in time, all physical evidence of Jenova's presence had disappeared, returned to the makeup of her own, and just her own.

Many a headache later, the only theory Hojo had about that peculiarity was that her own cells had _devoured_ Jenova's to secure her own survival, her body put in some kind of stasis, appearing to be dead until her own had completely sucked the J-cells dry.

Hojo was positive this was why she had survived.

But then what?

Why and how had her cells overtaken Jenova's? Why did she still have both her physical mutations and enhanced skills while her DNA suggested she was nothing but a mere human? And, perhaps most importantly, how could the professor use this?

He shook himself out of his thoughts. First and foremost, he had some other issues he needed to solve. He cleaned his thick glasses with the hem of his shirt, resulting in only smearing the grease all over the glass. Nonetheless, he put the spectacles back on his nose and briskly started towards the exit of his lab. It was about time to ask the President just why he wasn't a grandfather yet.

* * *

Sephiroth stalked through the hallways, not bothering to acknowledge the salutes and respectful nods that were directed to him. The people who knew him on a somewhat personal level, mostly the higher ranking SOLDIERs, dipped their heads and stepped out of the General's way. When the silver-haired man wore an expression like that – a barely noticeable scowl, eyebrows knitted in a slight frown and eyes glowing bright, you got the hell away and you did it quickly, lest you'd risk getting skewered with the legendary man's equally legendary blade.

Not that that had actually ever happened, but the SOLDIERs knew better than to tempt fate.

However, Sephiroth barely even noticed the people around him as he made his way to the stairs, skipping multiple steps at a time and reaching the sixty-eighth floor in record time. The General almost didn't want to admit it, but a part of him was actually looking forward to this. After everything his father had put him through, over twenty years of torture and experiments and needles and pain and _Gods so much pain_. If you asked Sephiroth, the professor's execution was long due.

Nonetheless, he caught himself reflecting the Lieutenant's words. It's true that Hojo was the only family he had. However, there was a reason he had discarded the family name the day he had come of age. Changing his name from Sephiroth Hojo to simply Sephiroth had mostly been a rebellious act, a way to show his father he couldn't control him anymore. No longer burdened with the family name, the only tie he had left with the professor was through blood, and since the General was sure he had more Mako than blood running through his veins, even that tie was weak.

Many years had gone by since then, and not once did he regret that decision.

All of that didn't matter to the General though, not anymore. Even if he did hold any love for the professor, the man stood in the way of their goals so he had to be disposed of. Simple as that.

And so, Sephiroth stalked through the labs, promptly ignoring the assistants their shouts. With a few long strides he reached Hojo's private office, which he entered without knocking. The General readied the Masamune and prepared to strike...

Only to find the professor wasn't there.

He glanced at the desk and rose his eyebrows, the desk was an absolute mess. Leaving his research open for anyone to see was so unlike the professor that Sephiroth couldn't help but read the files. He quickly scanned the messy handwriting and concluded that Hojo was researching Valon's resurrection. With a 'tsk', Sephiroth unceremoniously dumped the pile in the bin and set it on fire with a weak Fire spell. Hojo would soon be dead so the act was redundant, really, but the General felt better afterwards either way.

He watched as the papers blackened and burned and eventually turned to ash completely before he doused the fire. Then, he turned with an annoyed grunt to search for Hojo, but was stopped again when he bumped into one of the assistants that had yelled at him earlier.

"Sir!" the young assistant looked at him wide-eyed.

"Where is Hojo?" Sephiroth straightened to his full length.

"Uhm, sir, he left for a meeting with the President only moments ago, but-"

 _What_? The General roughly pushed the young man out of his way and dashed back through the labs, shoving multiple scientists to the ground as he did. He snapped his PHS open and hit the third person he had on speed dial.

* * *

Still caked in blood, Valon left Scarlet's office. She flinched when a woman screamed at her appearance. She was about to speak up when Heidegger's office opened and a rather bored looking Angeal stepped out. He raised his eyebrow at the Lieutenant before he cleared his throat.

"Everyone, stay calm. Leave the building and gather outside, that's an order in the name of General Sephiroth, so move it!"

Everyone present instantly dropped what they were doing and made a run for the elevator, all eyes glancing over Valon in both curiosity and horror. She ignored the glances and stares as she made her way over to Angeal, who was looking at her with an amused expression.

"Hey 'Geal," she greeted him. "How'd it go? I thought I heard screams outside."

"That's probably because I kicked Heidegger through the window," Angeal snickered.

"Brutal," Valon nodded in approval.

"Speaking of which, can I assume that's Scarlet's blood?"

"Nah," the Lieutenant shrugged. "Scarlet emptied her revolver on me. Six rounds and she couldn't hit a _single_ vital spot. Anyways, she's dead. Let's confirm the other targets are as well and if Rufus and Tuesti are safe."

"Yes, ma'am!" Angeal grinned. He was about to grab his PHS when he spotted a familiar redhead exiting the elevator.

"Genesis!" the raven-haired Commander waved him over.

"Are Kya Ha Ha and Gya Ha Ha dead?" Genesis asked as he eyed Valon.

"Positive," she nodded. "What about the President?

"Dead."

"Good. Anyone hear anything from Zack and Cloud yet?"

"Not yet," Angeal said after checking his phone.

"Okay, can you try and get hold of Zack? He doesn't have much time left. I assume Seph is about done with Hojo as well, so I'll have the Turks get ready for the broadcast. How's the evacuation of the tower going?"

"Tseng is on it, so it shouldn't take much longer now," Angeal confirmed.

"Good," the Lieutenant stretched with a dramatic groan. "So now we wait for Sephiroth's sign and-" she was interrupted by the ringing of Genesis' PHS. He flipped his phone open and snorted when seeing the name displayed.

"Speak of the devil," he grinned, after which he answered the call. "Rhapsodos... Speak a little slower, General, I can't-... No, I'm with Angeal and Valon, why? ...come again? Hojo went there?"

Genesis cursed and looked at his two friends warningly. "We're on our way, we might be able to intercept him," at that, he snapped his phone shut.

"What's wrong?" Valon swallowed hard when Genesis drew the Rapier.

"Hojo is moving. He's on his way to the President's office as we speak. We have to hurry."

Angeal and Valon drew their weapons instantly and the trio hurried towards the stairs. They ran up to the President's office, but Hojo wasn't there yet.

"Gen, wait in front of the elevator. Angeal and I will block the stairs," Valon ordered. The redhead nodded and crossed the long hallway without another word.

"Why did Hojo change his plans?" Valon mused as they waited. She was about to open her mouth to elaborate when a loud yell caught her attention.

* * *

The unmistakable sound of battle made Sephiroth curse loudly as he sprinted up the last flights. When he reached the President's floor, he skidded to a stop as he took in the scene.

Angeal, Genesis and Valon were fighting a... monster? No, Sephiroth took a closer look and felt his stomach drop. That writhing mass of red and purple flesh looked an awful lot like Hojo, a tattered lab coat still hanging around the multiple spikes that grew from its body and a pair of thick, round glasses still on its nose.

He moved his gaze to his companions. Genesis had multiple cuts, but they were superficial and he appeared to be fine. Valon was bloodied all-over, but since the Goddess wasn't interfering just yet, Sephiroth assumed she was fine as well. However, Angeal...

The raven-haired commander was bleeding from his mouth and ears, suggesting he had been afflicted with a Poison effect. However, what worried the General the most was that the Buster Sword wasn't pointed at the mutated Hojo, but at the Monochrome Lieutenant.

"Angeal!" Sephiroth howled, but the Commander ignored him. He cursed when Angeal swung his blade at Valon's head, which she barely dodged while distracted by Hojo's barrage of spikes. When Angeal lifted his blade again, Sephiroth sprinted towards them and lifted the Masamune, blocking the strike only just in time.

"Seph!" Valon breathed. "He's Confused, I-"

With one quick movement, Sephiroth disarmed the Commander. He twisted the Masamune and knocked Angeal on his head with the butt of the katana, causing the man to fall over. He landed on his back with a loud thud.

"Angeal! Seph, what-"

Sephiroth turned to Hojo. "I only knocked him out," he explained as he eyed the writhing mutant carefully. It opened its horrible mouth wide, showing multiple teeth the same length as the General's forearm. It regarded them for a moment before stretching its neck forward, the act reminding him of a snake.

They jumped back in time to dodge another one of his attacks.

"Genesis, use magic from the back," Sephiroth commanded. "Valon, I'll distract him from the left side. Once he focuses on me, you come in and kill him."

"Sir!" Genesis and Valon yelled in unison. At that, they took their positions. Genesis instantly started casting, an explosive barrage of fire hitting Hojo straight in the face. Hojo retaliated by sending a Silence spell his way, but Genesis dodged effortlessly and continued his assault.

Sephiroth closed in to his left and cut through the flesh, not enough to seriously harm him but plenty to distract the mutant. It turned its horrid face to the General. Valon decided to use that moment to strike. She sprinted towards Hojo and jumped up as high as she could. With a loud yell, she aimed her blade at his neck. She pierced the flesh effortlessly and retracted her blade, then quickly jumped back to safety.

Hojo let out a horrible shriek. It thrashed wildly for a moment, but dropped to the ground after a mere couple of seconds.

"That's the General for ya!" Valon pumped her fist in the air, breaking the silence with a smile. "He comes to our aid and _boom_ , job done in a matter of seconds!"

"Valon," Sephiroth reprimanded, but he couldn't hide the glint of amusement in his eyes. Valon winked at him and turned to Angeal, who still lay unconscious on the ground. "Hey Gen, can you heal him?"

"Of course," Genesis nodded as he sheathed his weapon and crouched down next to his co-Commander. Sephiroth scratched his head apologetically as Angeal woke up and rubbed his forehead in pain. He was about to say something when a loud screech startled them. They whirled around, facing Hojo once more as the mutated professor writhed and thrashed about, all the while deafening them with his shrieks. They watched in horror as Hojo's flesh started distorting, the purple slowly turning white as blue and golden metals started covering his shifting form. All his teeth and spikes slowly dislodged themselves from his body and fell to the ground with a clatter, and with one last distorted scream, his transformation was complete.

He slowly regarded the party with eyes they couldn't see anymore. After an agonizing moment, he raised a white- and blue tentacle-like arm. At that, the spikes and teeth that surrounded his floating form rose up as if alive and the sharp ends were aimed at them. Instinctively, Sephiroth raised his arms to shield his friends when Hojo fired the objects at their direction. The General inhaled sharply and grit his teeth, bracing himself for the impact.


	29. XXIX: The Second Act

AN: I don't know what my problem is lately, but again I felt like this chapter took forever to write. Either way, enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

 **XXIX: The Second Act**

He had expected pain. He had expected to feel the horrible sensation of sharp spikes piercing his flesh. He had expected to bleed, to slowly feel his life slip away while the Mako tried to heal him, to keep his heart beating in a battle it couldn't win. He had expected to perish right there and then.

And oddly enough, he had been prepared for it, _ready_ for it.

He had accepted his fate.

A long time ago, he had sworn to protect everything dear to him. He never had many of those things, which is why everything that _was_ precious to him was worth giving his life for. And as it were, the most precious thing in his life stood behind him when the mutated form of his father had sent those spikes their way. And so, he had decided to shield her from the attack.

An odd instinct for someone who was trained, no, _created_ to survive, no matter what.

Either way, he had squeezed his eyes shut and taken a deep breath, silently wishing, no, reassuring himself that his companions could finish their mission without him. Then, he braced himself for death.

But it never came.

He heard two voices scream "Protect!", and a fraction of a second later the sound of multiple items clattering on the ground filled his ears. He heard those same voices panting softly, while a third one cursed. It took a moment for him to process the fact that he was still very much alive, opening his eyes again when he was sure he was indeed. The first thing he noticed was the silence, the emptiness of the corridor.

Hojo was gone.

He turned to his friends with a frown. Valon and Genesis both had one arm raised still, the exhaustion of the sudden spell cast clear as they were both catching their breath. He locked eyes with the Lieutenant but was started back when she scowled.

"Sephiroth, you Gaia-damned _idiot_!" she spat. The General raised his sculpted eyebrows in confusion.

"I-"

"In the name of Ramuh's waxed ballsack, Seph, if Gen and I hadn't been fast enough..." she sighed loudly as she sheathed her nameless blade. Sephiroth got even more confused when she turned her back to him and raked her hands through her hair. "Why would you try and sacrifice your life for _mine_ , you egg."

"I only-"

"As much as I'm enjoying the drama, you two might just want to save your quarrels for later," Genesis interrupted.

"Genesis is right, we have to find Hojo. He just... disappeared." Angeal agreed.

"We'll find him. Angeal, call Zack. I'll contact Tseng and let him know what happened here," Sephiroth took the reigns once more. He pulled out his PHS and dialed the Wutaian Turk, promptly skipping the pleasantries as the man picked up. He explained their current situation and described what the mutated professor looked like. When Tseng answered with a gruff "I'm on it,", the General hung up.

"The Turks are looking for Hojo. He couldn't have gone far, so it probably won't take long."

"Zack and Cloud are in your office now," Angeal filled him in as he put away his PHS. "Reeve and Rufus are with them."

"Very well," Sephiroth nodded. "I'll go do the broadcast, then."

"No, wait," Valon's voice stopped him from turning around. "You want to kill Hojo, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"No but's, Seph. You stay stand-by for when the Turks find him. I'll do the broadcast."

Sephiroth gave it some thought, and he had to admit he truly wanted to spill the professor's blood personally. However, the people would expect the General himself to explain the situation to them, wouldn't they?

Then again, Valon was one of the most well-liked people in Shinra, trailing right behind Angeal, so the sympathy they held for the woman would help in getting their point across.

"Very well," he agreed after a long silence. "Go. We'll wait in Tseng's office."

With that, Valon turned and dashed down the hallway and the stairs, reaching their shared office in mere minutes. The second she entered, she heard a voice yell in surprise.

"Valon!" Zack exclaimed, confused to see her instead of Sephiroth. The Lieutenant didn't immediately greet them. She took a moment to look at everyone present; near the desk stood a tall, dark-skinned man she recognized as a Turk called Rude. The man was typing away on a small laptop, a large camera unceremoniously dumped on the desk.

She turned to her left, where four people were gaping at her in curiosity. First there was Zack, standing tall behind two blonds. He wore his trademark goofy grin and didn't seem bothered with the coating of blood the Lieutenant was sporting. None of them really seemed to care, actually. They had probably expected it, she mused.

In front of the SOLDIER Second stood Cloud, the small cadet was shifting his weight from one foot to another in nervousness, but despite his timid nature she could see a fierceness and determination in his eyes that made her feel... feel what? Pride?

Yeah, that's the feeling.

Next to Cloud, a child no older than ten was looking up at her with a mischievous grin, an expression so completely opposite of what she had expected from the boy that it managed to unsettle her for a moment. The child probably never held any love for his father, she thought.

Lastly, leaning somewhat casually against the wall, was Reeve Tuesti. Reeve was a handsome man. He was tall and well-built, had glossy hair and a dark, neatly-trimmed beard. Despite being in his late thirties, he barely had any wrinkles yet. The only few folds were next to his eyes and his lips, physical evidence that he smiled a lot.

Valon did always like Reeve Tuesti. She hadn't personally spoken him often, but had seen him at the board meetings every now and again, and he always gave off an air of youthfulness, yet his wisdom all but radiated from him.

"Reeve Tuesti, it's good to see you're safe," she said as she walked up to him, her hand extended in greeting. "I assume you've been informed?"

"You assume correctly, Lieutenant Harper," he nodded respectfully as he took her hand and shook it. "Although I must say, I'm quite surprised."

"Pleasantly, I hope?"

Reeve chuckled. "Correct again."

Valon hummed in amusement. "If you don't mind, we'll speak more later," she dipped her head in a courteous bow before turning to the three boys. She flashed them an apologetic smile. "You did well, Zack, Cloud, but I truly am sorry that you're involved in this mess."

"No need to be so formal with us, Val!" Zack propped his fists on his hips and grinned brightly. "Glad we could be of use!"

Again, Valon hummed. Then, she lowered herself to Rufus' eye level.

"Rufus, how are you?""

The child shrugged noncommittally. "Fine, ma'am."

"If you need anything, let us know, okay?"

The small blond only nodded. Valon mimicked the action before standing upright again. She turned to Zack.

"How much does he know?"

"Everything."

"Okay, in that case he can stay," at that, she turned towards the Turk and nodded at him in greeting. Rude gestured her to Sephiroth's desk and set up his camera. He typed some things on the laptop and turned the camera on. Smiling weakly at the red blinking light that indicated that it was recording, she nodded.

"Let's do this."

* * *

The three SOLDIER Firsts entered Tseng's office without knocking and took it to themselves to get comfortable. Angeal propped himself against the wall, arms crossed and a neutral expression on his features. Genesis gracefully seated himself on the small couch and Sephiroth dragged Devon's chair to Tseng and sat down next to him, the two men sharing a moment of mutual respect before the General spoke.

"Any sign of Hojo yet?"

The Wutaian man shook his head. "I'm afraid not, but we've only just began searching. We've blocked all the borders around Midgar, so he can't escape the city. We'll find him soon."

Sephiroth opened his mouth to speak, but got interrupted by the many screens in the office that suddenly got turned on, the white light blinding them all momentarily before the images settled on Valon's stoic face.

"People of Shinra, SOLDIERs, Turks, military personnel, medics, scientists and everyone else. I am SOLDIER First class, Lieutenant Valon Harper. If I may have a moment of your time," the girl on the screen took a deep breath before continuing. Sephiroth subconsciously leaned forward in his seat, captivated by the image. He never knew she could look so... diplomatic. "As most of you will know by now, President Shinra has passed away. And not only the President, but the executives Heidegger, Scarlet and Hojo have died as well."

"Why is she lying?" Genesis rose his eyebrow.

"The people don't have to know Hojo escaped. Don't give them a reason to riot," Tseng answered flatly. Genesis only nodded in response.

"The truth of the matter is that we, the SOLDIERs First class, murdered them. They were corrupted by greed. Their actions not only threatened the people of Gaia, but Gaia herself, too. This is why we decided to take matters into our own hands. As of today, following the death of President Shinra, we have appointed Reeve Tuesti as the new President of the Shinra Electric Power Company, and he will remain in that position until Rufus Shinra comes of age."

However, the death of the corrupt executives isn't enough to save the Planet. This is why SOLDIER First class, General Sephiroth, SOLDIER First class, Commander Genesis Rhapsodos and myself will continue this mission, but for that, we'll have to leave Shinra for an undecided amount of time. This is why, as of today, SOLDIER First class, Commander Angeal Hewley will be promoted to General at War. He will remain in that position, leading both the SOLDIER program and the regular army, until we return."

"She's kind of scary, isn't she?" Genesis chuckled. "So serious."

"This _is_ a serious matter, Genesis," the newly promoted General at War huffed.

"Please know that for you, the hard-working people of Shinra," Valon continued. "essentially nothing will change, for now. You are free to keep working for the company, but also know that you are free to leave if you please. We won't hold any change of heart against you. No matter your decision, we will continue to protect you, your families and all the people of Gaia to the utmost of our abilities."

Valon sighed and bowed deeply. When she stood at her full length again, her expression softened, if only slightly. "Lastly, we hope you will forgive us for our betrayal. I thank you for your time, and if you have any questions, please feel free to visit either President Tuesti or General at War Hewley. Thank you."

At that, the broadcast was cut. Sephiroth released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding, and smiled at the now blank screen.

"She did well," Tseng grinned ever so slightly as he turned his gaze towards the security footage. The mass of people standing outside were still calm, most looked confused but some of them appeared

to get back to work already, Valon's reassurance enough motivation to go on with their day as if nothing had ever happened. "Quite impressive, actually."

Sephiroth only hummed, but he couldn't stop the smile as it spread across his features.

* * *

An hour later, Sephiroth, Valon, Zack and Cloud stood next to the helicopter. Sephiroth felt uneasy, as Hojo still wasn't located, but they had to get on with their mission. There was no time left to wait, so they had decided that Genesis would stay behind with Angeal, the Commander willing and ready to dispose of Hojo the second he was sighted. Besides, Angeal didn't like to admit it, but with the amount of work he'd had to do, he was glad to have some help at hand.

"Good luck, you four," the new President smiled easily. "Don't worry about us, we'll be just fine."

"Of course you will!" Valon saluted them with a toothy grin. Angeal pulled her into a tight hug though, dismissing her formalities without second thought. Valon hugged him back and wiggled herself free before she got into the helicopter, waving at them as she climbed inside. Next, Angeal clapped Sephiroth on his shoulders firmly, no words needed as the man nodded respectfully to both him, Genesis and Reeve. Then, the silver-haired man took his seat at the controls.

The newly appointed General at War repeated the gesture, albeit more gentle, with Cloud. He squeezed softly in encouragement and wished him good luck before the boy got into the helicopter as well.

"'Geal, I, uhm..." Zack grinned uneasily. Angeal ruffled his lover's unruly black spikes.

"You be good now, don't give them any trouble," he chuckled.

"Of course not, _sir_!" Zack saluted mockingly, but quickly dropped his goofy demeanor when Angeal suddenly pressed his lips against his. Zack gasped a little, but smiled into the kiss as it deepened, electricity jolting through both their bodies as they kissed goodbye.

Finally, Angeal pulled back and gazed at the youth lovingly. He ruffled the spikes one more time before he stepped back. "Be safe, okay?"

Zack saluted again, his lopsided grin already back on his lips. Then, he turned and seated himself next to the Chocobo boy. Angeal didn't like to admit it, but he felt a surge of worry run through his chest as the helicopter took off. Together, Genesis, Reeve and he watched the helicopter become smaller and smaller and eventually disappear into the horizon. Angeal sighed deeply and turned, his head held high despite his worries.

The next stage of their mission had finally begun.


	30. XXX: No Such Thing As 'TMI'

AN: Some friendly banter, a little game of "embarrass the Chocobo" and some more lighthearted fun to take a little break from the dark turns this fic is taking. And all of that under the guise of Cloud getting to know the Firsts better... Enjoy!

* * *

 **XXX: No Such Thing As 'TMI'**

"Say, Cloud?" Valon turned in her seat to look at the blond, who was even paler than usual. The poor thing was suffering from motion sickness, it seemed, so she had decided to distract him with a conversation.

"Ma'am?"

"Valon," she corrected him with an easy grin. "Anyways, I have a question for you!" she said cheerfully. Cloud gulped.

"Do you remember the day I challenged you to a duel?"

"Of course," the boy said bitterly. Valon smiled apologetically before she continued. "Well, I assume you know that I was testing you, but I really want to know if my conclusion was correct. You see, I think you have impeccable instincts, so much so that your body can't keep up with your mind, yeah? But _someone_ ," she glanced at Sephiroth, "believes you were holding back. So, which one is it?"

Cloud scratched his neck through his blond spikes, a thoughtful look on his cherubic face. After a moment of thought, he locked his gaze with the Lieutenant's.

"A little bit of both, I think. When I started training under Vincent, he said the same about my instincts. In hindsight, that probably has something to do with that previous life," he shrugged. "Either way, Vincent trained me for years, but he told me to hide that fact because he didn't want the Turks to snatch me up," another shrug. "So I guess you're both right."

Valon huffed and turned back into her seat. She glared at her betrothed, who was smirking to himself. "And here I thought I had finally outsmarted you!" the Lieutenant sighed.

Sephiroth chuckled. "Keep dreaming, love."

Valon gaped at him in shock at the easy joke he cracked. She was about to retort when she heard a hearty laughter coming from the back seat. She turned around again and twisted her features into a fake scowl. "Keep laughin' like that and I'll shove me boot so far up yer gay ass that ye'll ne'er be able to bottom e'er again!"

Zack barked another laugh at the Kalm accent showing through. The woman only ever let her flawless, almost royal-sounding Midgarian accent slip when she was fooling around. "I could always top, you know!" he grinned.

At that, Valon barked a laugh of her own. "You, topping Angeal? The day Angeal willingly lets your skinny ass top is the day Genesis turns straight. Oh, speaking of Gen," she turned to Sephiroth again, who cocked his eyebrows at her in question.

"What about him?" the General took the bait.

"I've been meaning to ask; how _is_ sex with Gen?"

Sephiroth was taken aback by the blunt question, although knowing the woman, he should've expected it, really. He sighed in disapproval, but decided to humour her anyways. He took a moment to find the right word, three pairs of eyes burning on him as he did.

"Sex with Genesis is... extravagant," he chuckled at the memories of the touch of pearly white skin, the smell of apples and cinnamon and the sight of countless little freckles on slim but strong shoulders. "He's a powerbottom if I've ever seen one."

"Nice," Zack grinned from the back seat.

"Wow! But you're such a control freak in bed!" Valon snickered. Sephiroth opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a small voice.

"Uhm, question!" Cloud rose his eyebrows as three pairs of Mako-infused eyes were turned to him. He gulped, these three were his superiors Gaia-damnit, but he decided to be bold. "Does everyone in SOLDIER fuck with everyone?"

"Pretty much, yeah!" Valon smiled sweetly, making the Nibel youth's jaw drop as she continued, lifting her fingers to count. "Let's see, Angeal has slept with Seph, Gen and Zack. Gen has slept with pretty much everyone, the slut," the insult held no venom, it sounded like a pet-name of sorts. "Sephiroth has slept with Angeal, Genesis, Zack, that cute Commander in the Silver Elite, what's his name?"

"Dominic Shetland," Sephiroth reminded her.

"Ah, yeah, Dominic. Sweet thing, he is," she giggled softly before she continued the list. "So, Dominic Shetland, a couple of Firsts he refuses to tell me about," she glared at the silver-haired man, who pretended not to hear a thing. "Oh, he also slept with Scarlet."

"Only once," the General immediately defended himself, ignoring Zack's sounds of disgust and Cloud whispering ' _gross'_ behind him. "But yes, I have slept with her. In my defense, it happened after a particularly nasty Mako injection. I barely even remember it. Besides, it happened when my relationship with Valon consisted of nothing more than a whole lot of sexual tension and awkwardness, so _technically_ I haven't done anything wrong."

"Besides sticking your dick in crazy," Valon snorted.

"I still do that, though," he smirked at the Lieutenant, who playfully swatted him on the arm before clearing her throat. " _Anyways_! Zack only slept with Seph and Angeal-"

"And with Kunsel!"

"-and with Kunsel, apparently. You must indulge me, what does the boy look like underneath that helmet anyways?" she grinned at the raven-haired youth. But before he could answer, Cloud snorted loudly.

"You're _all_ a bunch of sluts!" he blurted out, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"Except me!" Valon yelled, mock-insulted. " _I_ only ever did the General!" she crossed her arms.

"Oh please, if Angeal hadn't beaten his rants about honour and loyalty into your head, you would've slept with half of SOLDIER _and_ the Turks!" Zack teased, causing Valon to gasp dramatically.

"You wound me!" she pouted as Zack stuck out his tongue. "Though I must admit, 't is a damn shame Angeal isn't bisexual. Sex with him must be a-ma-zing," she sighed sadly.

"Yeah..." Sephiroth and Zack hummed contently, causing the female SOLDIER to scoff in envy. However, when she saw Cloud's perplexed expression she gaily winked at him.

"I used to be so innocent," she reminisced.

"Really now?" Cloud snorted, his tone nasal in sarcasm. "What ever did happen to you to change you so."

"Mako," the three SOLDIERs said in unison. "Shit fucks with your hormones, man!" Zack added with wide eyes. Sephiroth and Valon nodded solemnly.

"You people have no self-respect," Cloud grinned. Seeing his childhood heroes, Sephiroth specifically, having such petty banter and exchanging the strangest stories with each other was something he wasn't quite used to yet, but he found himself enjoying how carefree they were in a less professional setting. Still, he almost felt himself invading that relaxed atmosphere, the only person in the group he was remotely close with was Zack. These people had gone through hell and back with each other, had fought and bled with each other as their only company, they seemed to have left no topic unspoken, no secrets unshared... Who was he to intrude upon that closeness?

"Cloud, stop brooding babe," Zack flicked his nose playfully.

"...babe?"

"Well, you _are_ a babe!" Zack laughed heartily. Sephiroth and Valon nodded in unison again. "Anyways, since we're going to be stuck in this chopper for a long-ass time, how 'bout we play a game?" the raven-haired boy suggested.

"Not again," the Lieutenant groaned, clearly remembering the last time Zack had made them play a game. She still couldn't look at poor, poor Kunsel properly.

"Well, what do you want to do then?"

"Can't we just talk?" Sephiroth suggested.

"About what?" Zack crossed his arms as he stared holes in the General's back. The man stayed silent though, not really being able to think of anything to talk about. It remained quiet in the helicopter after that, the sounds of the blades rotating above them the only thing to break the silence. After a while, Cloud cleared his throat softly.

"Well, since I already know _way_ too much about all of you now," he rolled his eyes mockingly. "how about you tell me how you two met?" his eyes darted between Sephiroth and Valon, a sense of dread befalling him when the two relaxed faces turned into grim scowls. The silence hung over them once more and Cloud shrunk in his seat, wishing himself to disappear completely. He gulped. "I'm sorry, I-"

"It's okay Cloud," Sephiroth interrupted him. "We can tell you."

"Meaning I get to do the talking," Valon sighed, but shook her head and smiled again. "It's a rather long story and I hate telling it, so I'm going to give you the short version. You're aware that I'm the only female SOLDIER, yes?"

Cloud nodded.

"Well, since I'm the first and only woman who has ever survived the Mako treatments, and since Seph is obviously the best SOLDIER to ever live, Hojo wanted us to, eh," she stuck her tongue out as if she had tasted something vile before she finished, her hands lifted as she made quotation marks in the air. " _breed_."

"Excuse me?" Cloud's mouth fell open. "Breed?"

Sephiroth and Valon solemnly nodded, but remained silent after that. Cloud instantly felt bad for sticking his nose in business that didn't involve him, but he shook his head, deciding to try and lift the mood again. "But you're together for real now, right?"

At that, the corners of the General's mouth twitched upward a little and his eyes softened again. The blond caught him glancing at the silver ring around his finger before he allowed himself to fully smile. "We are now, indeed."

"That's a funny story, actually! Valon, tell him how you made Seph propose!" Zack snickered. Valon grinned and relayed the story, about how their engagement was a ruse, about how she had ripped Zack's earring from his ear as she was searching for something that could pass for a ring, and about how they had shared their first kiss that night. Zack laughed through the entire story, although he briefly touched his earlobe when the Lieutenant spoke of almost ripping his ear off. Cloud smirked at the warmth in Valon's voice, though he was still confused about one thing.

"But you were just doing it to humour Hojo and the President at that point, right? Can you tell me when you fell in love?" he ignored Zack elbowing his ribs. Yeah, he was a sap, so what?

"Oh Gaia, this is the most cliché thing on the Planet, but I think I fell in love after we had sex for the first time," Valon smiled. "The sexual tension between us was _insane._ You see, we could barely walk next to each other without wanting to drag the other into the nearest supply closet, and that's a real issue when you're in each other's presence twenty-four-seven. Anyways, one day I had some trouble with getting the hang of a certain Materia, and Sephiroth decided to help me. But, as you know from your own Materia lessons, they get very touchy-feel y, yeah?" no further explanation needed, she sunk back in her seat and smiled. "Afterwards, I really thought he'd ditch my sorry ass, I'm not even sure why, but I really did. But instead, he kissed me on my cheek and asked me to sleep in his bed that night," she chuckled. "I haven't slept in mine since."

"That's adorable!" Zack squealed, clapping his hands excitedly. The Lieutenant laughed, waving away his unmanly sounds with a gentle flick of her hand.

"It is adorable, though," Cloud agreed with a happy hum. Then, he turned to Sephiroth, a soft smile gracing the man's features. "How about you, Sephiroth?"

"Hmm," the General took a moment to think. When _did_ he fall in love with the black- and white haired woman? He snorted in amusement when he was able to pinpoint the exact moment in his memories. "I'm going to one-up you on the sappiness," he said to Valon. "but I think I fell in love after you made me propose to you. More specifically, when we had our first kiss. I didn't realize I did fall in love until much, _much_ later though."

Cloud and Zack squealed in delight, almost clasping each other in squee. Valon playfully punched his shoulder. "Always have to be better than me, eh Seph?"

Sephiroth chuckled again. "I guess I just am."

* * *

AN: To refresh your memories because honestly I really can't blame you if you can't remember exactly how it happened after all the stuff I've been throwing into this fic: Seph proposed to Valon in chapter 8!


	31. XXXI: Curiosity Killed the Cat

AN: First of all, I want to deeply apologize for leaving you guys in the dark for so long. I'm going to make a long story short here, but the bottom line is that December was too hectic and busy for me to write and when I finally did have the time I became sick and now need surgery, which I'll get the 25th of February. It's not life-threatening as of now, but I'm in a lot of pain and focussing on things for longer than an hour or so is just not doable for me at the moment. Nonetheless, that's no excuse for me to not let you guys know why everything is taking so long. I should've updated, let you guys know the fic is not dead (quite the contrary, actually, but I digress). As of now though, I'm not sure when I'll be posting the next chapter. I hope I can push some more out before my surgery, but no promises. I should be fully recovered come April though, so by then I'll finally start updating more regularly. Again, I'm terribly sorry.

Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

 **XXXI: Curiosity Killed the Cat**

 _No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the thought off of her mind. It was becoming an obsession, and a dangerous one at that. Nonetheless, she knew she had to satisfy her curiosity before it would turn her mad. She had contemplated the many different ways to go about this, but in the end there was only one way to truly get to the bottom of things. Speak directly with the source._

 _That's how she found herself in front of Hojo's labs at oh-four-hundred in the Gaia damned morning. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door, which was opened only a heartbeat after. A very disgruntled professor Hojo stared down at her. Strands of greasy hair were covering his face, his glasses were smudged and dirty and the bags under his eyes suggested he hadn't slept in days. Valon had predicted a situation like this though, so she had prepared herself._

 _"Good morning professor," she greeted him, after which she held up a cup of steaming hot coffee. Triple espresso, half a spoon of sweetener - just as the professor liked it. "Coffee, sir?"_

 _Hojo accepted the cup and turned back into his lab, motioning her to follow. "Close the door on your way in."_

 _She did as she was told, closing the door as softly as she could, and followed him back inside. There, she took a seat on one of the empty examination tables as the professor sunk into his chair with a groan. He pinched the bridge of his nose and furrowed his eyebrows._

 _"Had a rough night, professor?" Valon asked curiously. Professor Hojo hummed in affirmation before taking a sip of the coffee, careful not to burn his tongue. He swallowed with an appreciative sigh before setting the cup on his desk. "Multiple ones, actually."_

 _"Trouble with your research?"_

 _"Indeed."_

 _"Anything I can do to help?"_

 _Hojo chuckled. "One of the many reasons why I like you, Valon Harper, is because your curiosity is never satisfied. Reminds me of myself, actually," he took another sip. "But no, I'm afraid you can't help me. And besides, I have a burning feeling that you're not here just to watch an old man think."_

 _Valon guiltily scratched her head with a lopsided grin. "No, sir, you're right. I was just curious about something and-"_

 _"There you have it," Hojo snorted. "I can't guarantee to be of any use, though."_

 _"Well, I think you can, sir. You see, I heard this rumour," she scratched her head again, suddenly feeling nervous. What if the professor got mad at her for prying? Oh Gods above..._

 _"Spill it, child."_

 _Valon coughed and said a quick prayer in her mind before continuing. "Actually, it wasn't exactly a rumour. You see, the General said that, ehm..." another nervous cough. "Is it true that you are General Sephiroth's father, sir?"_

 _Hojo was about to take a sip of his coffee, but instantly froze for a heartbeat before setting the cup back down on his desk. "I am."_

 _Valon slowly nodded. She had no reason to doubt the General's words, she knew he told her the truth. Yet, the affirmation from the professor himself was like a punch in her face._

 _"Sephiroth's mother died giving birth to him," the professor spoke slowly. "And you may not be surprised to hear this, but I'm not a good father."_

 _"Sir?"_

 _"Science is my life. I sacrifice everything for it, including my own family."_

 _"Sir?" Valon repeated herself, her mouth agape. What did he mean?_

 _"I've conducted experiments on Sephiroth from the day he was born."_

 _Oh Gods, what? Valon felt her stomach drop. She felt the sudden urge to flee. She had no right to hear this. Why did this seem like such a good idea? Gaia, she was so stupid._

 _"You think I'm a monster, don't you?" Hojo took off his glasses and cleaned them with the hem of his lab coat. He put them back on his nose and stared at her intently._

 _"No," she shook her head. "I don't..."_

 _"Well, you should," the professor curtly said._

 _"Everybody makes mistakes, professor. I think-"_

 _"It doesn't matter what you think, child. And besides," he downed his now cold coffee and threw the cup in the trash bin. "It was no mistake. Not a single experiment has made me feel guilt, not a single scream or cry triggered any paternal instincts in me."_

 _"Sir..."_

 _"Does this satisfy your curiosity?" Hojo asked. He rose and made his way to the door, which he opened briskly. Valon gulped before slowly nodding. She jumped off the table and walked through the door. She looked up at the professor apologetically. "I'm sorry, sir, I shouldn't have-"_

 _"I'll repeat myself, child. One of the reasons I like you is because of your curiosity. Never stop prying, it's a valuable trait. Now leave, I do believe I need a nap."_

 _Again, she slowly nodded. The door closed as she turned. She needed to get her mind off of this. No, if anything, she should forget any of this had ever happened. Oh Gods, why did she have to stick her nose into business that didn't concern her? Sephiroth was going to kill her if he ever found out. She took a deep breath to calm herself. A run, yes, let's go for a run. It was cold outside, and exercise always cleared one's head. She nodded to herself and stalked through the hallway, only to come to a sudden stop when another door opened, revealing a very, very angry looking Sephiroth._

 _"Sir!" she gasped as he regarded her with narrowed eyes._

 _"You were at the labs, weren't you?"_

 _"Sir, isn't that Scarlet's-"_

 _"Answer me,"_

 _Valon took a defensive step back, but soon succumbed to his glare. She closed her eyes guiltily and nodded. She opened her eyes again, suddenly feeling so very small as his scowl grew. She wanted to apologize, but before she could open her mouth he took two long steps and wrapped his arm around her waist. He lifted her up, causing her to yelp. "Sir! What are-"_

 _"Don't say another word," he warned her as he carried her through the hallways. Her legs and arms were dangling down as her butt was in the air, an absolutely degrading display. The few people already awake stared at the scene with mouths agape as Sephiroth carried her up multiple flights of stairs before finally stopping in front of a door. Wait, weren't these Angeal's personal quarters?_

 _Sephiroth knocked on the door, two quick taps with his knuckles. From inside, they heard some stumbling before the door was opened, revealing a half naked Angeal. He stared from Sephiroth to Valon and back. "What's going on?"_

 _The General briskly walked past him and dumped his Aide on the couch before walking back to the door. "She disobeyed my orders, punish her as you see fit," he said in a monotone voice before leaving. Angeal, still holding the door, looked over his shoulder at Valon, who was fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. Her face was beet red and she looked like she was about to cry. Angeal sighed and closed the door. "I'm going to put on a shirt now," he said. "After that, you can tell me what in the world happened."_

 _Valon slowly nodded, trying to take that time to wrap her mind around the events of that morning, but she couldn't. Her stomach hurt, pangs of guilt made her feel sick. Oh Gods, she was about to vomit all over the Commander's carpet... She hid her face in her hands, trying to steady her breathing. Oh Gaia._

 _A hand firmly but kindly grabbed her shoulder, causing her to look up through her fingers._

 _"Tell me what happened," Angeal said as he sat down next to her. She took a shaky breath as she pulled up her feet underneath her, making herself as small as possible._

 _"The General ordered me to never go to the labs alone anymore," she started explaining. Angeal closed his eyes and sighed, already starting to get where this was going._

 _"He didn't realize that order was impossible?" he asked. He couldn't help but being humoured by the oddity. Valon shook her head._

 _"So, let me get this straight, he didn't want you to go to the labs, but you did, and now he's throwing a hissy-fit over it?" when Valon remained silent, he quirked his eyebrow. "What were you doing at the labs so early?"_

 _She flinched, her face turning an even darker shade of red. "He told me," her voice cracked. "He told me about Hojo-"_

 _"Ah, so you know," Angeal nodded solemnly. "And you went to the labs because you wanted to learn more?"_

 _"Yeah, that's about it," Valon stared at her hands, which lay defeated in her lap. "I fucked up, didn't I?"_

 _"The only thing you did wrong was ask the professor instead of Sephiroth himself. Other than that, he can't just drop a bomb like that on you and then expect you to not be curious. Come," he rose and made his way to the kitchen. "I'm going to make us some breakfast," he explained._

 _"Breakfast?" Valon cautiously followed him. Wasn't she supposed to get punishment? Angeal chuckled. "Yes, breakfast. And while we eat, I'm going to tell you something about Genesis and myself."_

* * *

"Another one?" someone gasped.

"What's going on?" another yelled angrily.

"What does the Shinra want with us?" a third wailed.

The angry murmurs on the plaza were hushed when the Shinra helicopter landed in front of the town and a familiar face stepped out. It was the same man from a week ago, his white button-up untucked and his red tie slung sloppily over his shoulders. Devon Summer from the Shinra Department of Administrative Research, Mayor Lockhart recalled. The Nibelheim people were looking over the suited shoulder, expecting the scandidly clad SOLDIER to step out of the vehicle as well, but when Summer locked up the helicopter it became clear that he was alone. This caused the townsfolk to whisper amongst each other once more. They couldn't claim to know much about the Shinra, but they did know that office suits rarely ventured further than the Shinra premises without any muscle to escort them.

So why was he alone?

Brian Lockhart cleared his throat, a sense of dread befalling him as the brunet stepped forward with his index- and middle finger pressed to his temple in non-committal greeting.

"Welcome to Nibelheim once again, mister Summer. To what do we owe the... _pleasure_?" the Mayor grumbled, not even trying to hide his dismay. The suited man only grinned, causing the Mayor's blood to boil.

"Don't get a heart attack just yet, old man. You might want to save that for later."

"Later?" the Mayor tilted his head.

"Yeah, there's some SOLDIERs on their way here," Devon lit a cigarette and smirked at Mayor Lockhart. The angry whispers got louder at that, but Devon shrugged them off. "Relax people, you'll barely notice we're here," he said as he took a drag.

"Pardon my tone, _sir_ , but what is the Shinra sending SOLDIERs to Nibelheim for?" the Mayor turned a comical shade of red.

"Classified," the Turk grinned. "But no worries, we'll stay out of your people's way as much as we can."

Before Mayor Lockhart could respond, a warm female voice sounded from the crowd. "Devon Summer, welcome in Nibelheim again, dear!"

Devon smiled at the familiar crown of gold that made its way through the mass of people.

"Missus Strife, seeing your face is like sunshine on a rainy day!" he flattered her with a theatrical bow. Eleanor Strife giggled.

"Will you be staying for dinner today?"

"I'd be honoured to!" the Turk smiled. "But I have a mighty big request of you, sunshine. Would it be a problem if five of my colleagues came over as well? We'll pay you for the trouble of course!"

"Not a problem at all, dear!"

"Thank you," Devon grinned. "In that case, I'll be taking my leave now. Busy, busy! Oh, Mayor Lockhart?" Devon turned as he started walking away. "If I were you, I'd try to mask yer dismay a little better once the SOLDIERs arrive. _I_ might be a nice guy and all, but General Sephiroth tends to be a little... moody after a long trip. I'd hate to stand at the sharp end of that sword of his, you know?" he turned to Eleanor Strife again and bowed. "I will see you at dinner then!" he grinned toothily at her before walking towards the Shinra Manor, leaving the distressed villagers to their own. He couldn't help but grin as he heard a lady wail a prayer to Odin. Were the common people really that scared of Sephiroth? Sure, the man looked intimidating, but in truth he was just a big nerd. And socially cripple at that. The type of kid that, despite his looks, got bullied to no end back in school. Then again, he'd come a long way since he met Valon. Judging from both the Goddess' words and his own impressions when he first met the General, the man didn't care much about anything. A big, handsome fighting machine, but not much more than that. Devon shook his head with a lopsided grin. Nah, he shouldn't make assumptions. He couldn't claim to know the man that he was before he met Valon well enough to judge. And besides, first impressions weren't always correct.

Wait, where was he going with this again? He shook his head as he walked up to the Manor. Time to get serious. Valentine was a Turk, and if anything, Turks were trigger-happy. With a smug expression he opened the door and counted down. _Three, two, one..._

A gun was pressed to his temple. He snorted when the hoarse voice of Vincent Valentine whispered in his ear. "Back so soon, Turk?"

"What can I say, I just missed yer pretty face too much."

"You know how this works, Turk. Speak."

"Damn, Valentine, yer a bore," Devon sighed when he heard the gun click. "President Shinra is dead, most of the executives are dead as well," okay, he wasn't entirely sure if they were indeed, but he didn't have to tell Valentine that just yet. "Lastly, Hojo is dead as well."

The gun was removed from his head. "Hojo is dead? What happened? I thought I made myself very clear when I told you to wait," the gunman hissed.

"What happened, he asks!" Devon snorted as he lit another cigarette. He held the pack out, offering Vincent to take one. Crimson eyes narrowed a little. "I don't smoke."

"Yet," Devon grinned as he put the pack away. "All right, I'll tell you what happened. You might want to sit down for this one, though."

When Devon finished his story, Vincent pinched the bridge of his nose with his good hand. So the Goddess had taken matters into her own hands, then. Lovely.

 _"Relax, my dearest Host,"_ the Demon chuckled in his head. _"This is good news, isn't it?"_

 _"How so?"_ Vincent answered in his mind's voice.

 _"The SOLDIERs have destroyed nigh all our targets, leaving only my dear Jenova."_

 _"And with Hojo dead, there's no escape for her,"_ Vincent agreed. He knew before the Demon had rudely decided to give his opinion, it was good news indeed. And yet, it unsettled him. Something wasn't right. But this turn of events could only be to his advantage, so he shouldn't brood on it for much longer.

 _"Open your eyes, dear Host. I do believe the Turk is trying to get your attention,"_ Chaos snickered.

"-entine! Gaia to Valentine!" the Turk repeated. Vincent shook his head with a frown. Those conversations in his mind always managed to unsettle him.

Devon snorted. "You're a funny man, Vincent Valentine. Ah, that reminds me, the boss knows you're still alive."

"What?" Vincent hissed. "The Turk leader has-"

"The Turk leader knows everything, whether ya like it or not," Devon interrupted him. "Besides, I can only imagine how much the Turks have changed since yer supposed death."

Vincent didn't quite care about the suit any more. There were things he wanted to ask, but he hadn't the heart.

But, as if he'd read his mind, the Turk sighed and opened his mouth to speak. "Veld has been missing for years. He just vanished one day. We assume he's dead."

Vincent closed his eyes and sighed. He should've expected this. The life expectancy of a Turk averaged around thirty, and Veld was already nearing his forties when Vincent had 'died', so he shouldn't be surprised. No, truth be told, he wasn't. He wasn't surprised. Deep down he'd known from the day the Nibel youth had awoken him from his slumber. The world had changed beyond his imagination and that included the Turks.

"Who is the Turk leader now?"

"Tseng," Devon shrugged. "Wutaian, tall, ponytail, funny dot on his face," he poked himself in the forehead to indicate where the 'funny dot' was located. "Ya know him?"

Vincent nodded, a twinge of pride welling up somewhere deep within him. Tseng... He'd only been a boy when Vincent had disappeared. Back when the Turks were nothing more than a ragtag group of misfits working under Lady Shinra's command, they had rescued both Tseng and a boy with no name from slave traders. The two boys, having nowhere left to go, were taken into the group with open arms. His lips quirked upwards ever so slightly at the memories. The second boy had been nicknamed Rude, a tasteless jest in reference to the boy's apparent muteness.

Vincent chuckled softly, taking Devon by surprise. "The first time Rude spoke to us was right after we gave him the name," the gunman turned to face Devon, but he wasn't looking at him. His crimson eyes were looking straight through the Turk, completely lost in memory. "I only speak when I have something important to say, he said."

His eyes focused again, this time really looking at Devon. "How has he been?"

"Rude? Jus' fine, he is. He's been training the new additions to the suit as of late. I think the rookies are afraid of him," he snorted.

Ah, good. Both Tseng and Rude were still alive and well. In truth, he wouldn't have known what to do with himself if the two boys, no, _men_ had perished while he slept. Two more sins to add to the seemingly endless list...

Luckily, that wasn't the case. He really wanted to ask about his other former Turk partners, but he hadn't the heart. He dreaded the answers too much. Perhaps, once Jenova was gone and the world was saved... Maybe then, some of his sins might be erased. Then, he could carry the burden.

But no sooner.

And so, he turned towards the staircase, beckoning Devon to follow him. They had a lot to discuss, after all.


	32. XXXII: Inhibitions

AN: A long chapter and some rated M stuff to make up for my lack of communication towards you guys! Whoo!

I'm still rather inexperienced with writing sex, so any comments would be wonderful. I'm always trying to make it as classy as possible (it's hard not to make it sound too raunchy, you know?) and keep the pacing fast enough for it to be exciting but slow enough to be, well, exciting. But good God above, that's a challenge. That's why I'd love to hear if you liked it or not. Feedback is very much appreciated!

 **XXXII: Inhibitions**

"Are you excited to go back to your home town, Cloud?" Valon asked with a gentle smile, which twisted into a confused frown the second Cloud vehemently shook his head.

"I don't have many ties back home," he explained with a shrug. "Just my mum."

"No friends?" the Lieutenant asked.

"One, but she's the mayor's daughter."

Valon cringed. The mayor despised the Shinra. He had tried to mask it but had done a poor job at that. His daughter probably wasn't allowed to see Cloud any more, now that he was with the Shinra himself. Sad. She shook her head, deciding to change the topic into something more cheerful. "I met your mother," she grinned. "She's lovely."

"Thank you," Cloud smiled shyly. "She is, isn't she?"

"Aww, I wanna meet mama Strife!" Zack pouted, causing Cloud to snort. "You will once we get there."

"I agree, we should visit missus Strife once we reach Nibelheim. In fact, I bet Devon already made dinner arrangements the second he landed." Valon chuckled.

Cloud's smile never wavered. His mum had been his everything for as long as he could remember, he loved her deeply and was happy the SOLDIERs liked her as well. Or, Valon and Devon did. But he was sure Zack and Sephiroth would like her, too.

"Hey, Seph?" Valon turned to the General, a grin still plastered on her face. When he didn't respond, Cloud assumed he was just concentrating on flying, not paying attention to the conversation. Only when the Lieutenant straightened her back and repeated the General's name, in full this time, did he bother to look at the silver-haired man. He shot up in alarm and saw Zack do the same from the corner of his eye.

"Sephiroth!" Valon repeated again, the concern clear in her voice. He looked awfully pale and his eyes were glazed over. She extended her arm to touch his, but the second her fingers brushed his coat he shot up. She quickly pulled her hand back as fire seared through her fingertips, all the way up to her shoulder. Why did her touch hurt?

Sephiroth grabbed his head as if in pain, pulling at his hair and whispering a mantra she couldn't quite hear to himself. Again, she extended her arm, this time grabbing his shoulder firmly. The pain seared through her limb again, but she didn't pull back this time. Instead, her grip tightened even more as she started whispering soothing words to him, unsure what else to do.

"What's going on?" Zack's eyes darted from Sephiroth to Valon and back.

"I don't know," Valon hissed, "He's-"

"Shut up," the General whispered, tugging hard at his hair. "Shut up, shut up," he repeated again and again, his voice growing louder every time. After a short few seconds, he released his hair and smashed the controls of the helicopter in blind rage.

"Seph!" Valon yelled. She quickly released him as the helicopter suddenly dipped forward. Sparks were flying from the many buttons and meters on the control panel. She cursed as she grabbed her own controls, tilting the control column back in an attempt to steady the aircraft. Another curse. She looked at the two boys over her shoulder. "We're gonna crash."

Cloud's heart skipped a beat as Zack nodded. He undid his seatbelt and swung his leg over Cloud's thighs. Then, he held the younger boy tightly, protecting him with his own body. Cloud wanted to protest, push him back into his seat, but his hands wouldn't obey. Instead, they gripped Zack's shirt tightly as he buried his face in his chest.

"Brace yourselves," Valon's strained voice warned them. Cloud felt Zack's muscles tense as he clenched his eyes shut. The last thing he heard was the Lieutenant take a sharp inhale of breath and then the deafening sounds of screeching metal when they hit the ground. Then, nothing.

* * *

Valon groaned as she came to. Gods, that sucked. She checked herself for injuries before even considering to stand, but the damage didn't seem too bad. She felt multiple shards of glass in various spots of her body and a slight movement of her shoulder confirmed her suspicion- dislocated. Other than that, she seemed unharmed. She rolled over to her back with a groan and grabbed her pained arm. She grit her teeth to brace herself against the pain before she pulled hard, then released her breath as she felt the joint pop back into place. She moved her arm around experimentally- it hurt like hell, but she would be fine. She scrambled to her feet and, through hazy sight, took in her surroundings. A few feet away, the helicopter lay broken and distorted beyond repair. There was some smoke rising up from the machine, but bless the Gods that it hadn't exploded on impact. She turned, clenching her jaw when she saw three figures laying in the dirt. She ran up to the tallest one and grabbed his armoured shoulder.

"Seph, oh Gaia, Sephiroth," she shook gently, hoping it'd be enough to wake him. She sighed in relief as his eyes snapped open and he shot up. "Thank the Gods," she whispered as she all but lunged herself at him, hugging him tightly. Cautiously, he wrapped his arms around her waist. "What happened?" He asked, his voice still groggy.

"I should ask you that," she buried her face in the crook of his neck. "But that can wait, we have to check-"

"I'm okay!" Zack's voice interrupted her. She released Sephiroth and ran over to Zack, who was still holding Cloud tightly. A small stream of blood was trickling from Zack's hair down his face, and his tan skin already showed evidence of multiple bruises, but he seemed otherwise unharmed. She turned to Cloud. The boy's eyes were still closed. With a soft curse, she grabbed his limp wrist and tried to find a pulse.

When she did, she plopped down onto her butt and sighed with relief. "How in the world did everyone survive this?" she groaned. Sephiroth sat down next to her and grabbed her arm. Gently, he started pulling out the shards of glass, causing Valon to hiss.

"You protected me, didn't you?" the General asked as he removed a shard.

"Of course I- _ow!_ \- did, you egg," she replied. Sephiroth threw the glass to his side and sighed. "What happened?"

"You just... I don't know, you lost it," Valon replied softly. "So you tell me what happened."

"I-" Sephiroth started, averting his gaze. Valon cocked her eyebrows. What was going on?

"You?"

"I heard a voice," he sighed before getting back to work, pulling out more and more glass. Valon felt her stomach drop. It was just like the Goddess, first a voice and then boom, all control gone.

"She wasn't happy."

"Who wasn't?" she dreaded the answer.

"I think it was Jenova," Sephiroth furrowed his brows, but before he could speak more, Valon pressed a finger to his lips to silence him.

"If she knows, you're dead," she whispered, referring to the Goddess. _If you're too weak to resist Jenova's pull, I will kill you._ That's right. He silenced himself and got back to work. He motioned her to turn her back to him so he could pull out the glass there.

"Why did you protect me?" he asked, not caring that Zack was intently listening to everything they said.

"When two people get married, they promise the other to love and cherish, but also to protect and serve until death. I know we're not married-"

"Yet," Sephiroth smiled, causing Valon to snort.

"But there's no reason not to do so already, right?" she shrugged. "Besides, your mind was Gods know where, so you couldn't protect yourself."

"And now you have dozens of shards in your body," Sephiroth gently traced her spine, giving her a moment to catch her breath before pulling out more.

"That's okay. My body can't die," she said bitterly. "Yours can."

"Is that why you were so angry with me before?" the General asked, referring to their little episode with Hojo.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that."

Sephiroth shook his head. "Don't be. If anything, you were kind of funny."

"Funny?" Valon snorted.

"Ramuh's waxed ballsack?"

Valon wanted to retort, but a soft laugh made her perk up.

"I'm probably hallucinating," Cloud's voice was muffled, his face still firmly pressed in Zack's chest. "But did I really just hear General Sephiroth say ' _Ramuh's waxed ballsack_ '?"

The three SOLDIERs laughed.

"You're not hallucinating, buddy," Zack snickered as he helped Cloud sit up. The blond rubbed his eyes and quirked his eyebrows. "That's an odd thing to wake up to."

"I can only imagine," Zack was still shaking with laughter. "You okay, Spikey?"

Cloud nodded. "Bit of a headache, but I'm fine. Thanks, Zack," he shyly averted his gaze. Zack ruffled his spikes affectionately. "I don't know about you guys, but I really need to walk this off. You coming, Spike?"

Cloud looked up at him with a confused expression, but got the hint when Zack's eyes darted to the General and Lieutenant for a brief moment.

"Don't stray too far, okay?" Valon grimaced. She wanted to say more, but cursed when another shard was pulled out of her back. Gaia fucking _damnit_ , how many of those bloody shards did she sport?

"We'll be back in a few," Zack nodded before limping off, Cloud trailing closely. When they were out of earshot, Valon leant back into Sephiroth's broad chest and sighed deeply. Sephiroth wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and whispered softly. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Valon shook her head. She lifted her arm and gently caressed the side of his face.

"It's my fault that we crashed, my fault that you got hurt. I'm-" his voice cracked. "Sorry."

His soft shaking made her eyes widen in alarm. Was he... Was Sephiroth crying? She turned in his embrace and wrapped her arms around his head. He buried his face in her chest and pulled her closer, holding her tightly.

"It's okay. I'm okay, see?" Valon whispered as she stroked his hair. "It's Jenova. It's her fault, not yours, do you hear?"

Sephiroth nodded against her, but didn't let go. She sighed deeply, fighting tears herself. After all this time, in all those years she'd known Sephiroth, not once had she seen him cry. Not even once. He never would let his walls go down this easily, not even with her. Was this Jenova's fault, too? Had she left any scars in his mind when she'd tried to take control of him?

An inferno of rage welled up within her. How dare that psycho space bitch hurt Sephiroth like that? She was going to kill her. No, she was going to maim the wench beyond recognition and enjoy every fucking second of it. She'd-

"Thank you," Sephiroth whispered as he lifted his face. He didn't look at her properly still, but at least he'd gotten control of his emotions back. Valon pressed her forehead against his and closed her eyes. "It's okay, it really is." she said as she herself quelled the rage inside of her, too. He nodded against her and took a deep breath.

"Val?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm confused."

"About what?"

"I _know_ this is not an appropriate time," he pulled back and stared into her eyes with a calculating look. "And yet, I really want to kiss you now."

Valon burst out laughing at the innocence. Gaia, he was precious. Still smiling, she cupped his face with her hands, wiping away a small droplet on his cheek with her thumb. There, as if it never happened. Then, she moved her face closer to his, her lips hovering a hair's width over his. He chuckled softly before closing the gap, pressing soft, sweet kisses against her lips. His hands trailed up and down her back a few times before settling on her hips, his favourite place to do so. Valon shuddered as his fingers started kneading the soft flesh in a gentle but deliberate rhythm.

She pulled back to look at him, her cheeks already flushed. When she smiled, he felt a surge of want run through his body. Instantly impatient, he lifted his hand and laced his fingers through her hair, pulling her back into a kiss. He licked her lips eagerly, begging for entrance which she gladly granted. She moaned in surprise as he gripped her hips even tighter, causing him to chuckle in her mouth. Gods, he loved that sound.

"Now ain't that a sexy display," Zack's voice made them part. They quickly released each other and scooted back a little. "I should've taken a picture! Your fan clubs would make me a rich man for a photo like that."

"Gil ain't worth shit when you're a dead man, Fair," Valon snorted, causing Zack to raise his hands defensively. "I wouldn't have made one, ma'am. I feel privileged, having seen this!" he barked a hearty laugh before walking up to them. He plopped down next to them, Cloud following suit.

"Are you okay, Cloud?" Sephiroth asked the flushed cadet. He dipped his head in a nod, his spikes moving comically with the motion.

"Good. I think I got all the shards, Valon."

"Oh thank Gaia!" she raised her hands in the air theatrically. They shared a moment of laughter- not that Valon was _that_ funny, but relief did odd things to a man- before getting serious again.

"Any guess on where we are?" Zack asked, looking around. He could make out some mountains in the distance. Was that Mount Nibel?

"I think we're in the Corel region," Sephiroth looked up north, pointing at the mountains. "That's Mount Corel," then, he pointed to the west. When squinting, one could barely make out more mountains over the horizon. "That's Mount Nibel."

"So now what?" Cloud pouted. He desperately wanted to take a nap, truth be told.

"We're not going to walk all the way to Nibelheim in this condition," Valon crossed her arms in front of her chest. "It'll take at least three days before we reach the top. Way too dangerous with our current injuries."

Sephiroth nodded in agreement. "We should rest up first. Let's go to North Corel. If memory serves me right, they have an inn and multiple stores where we can stock up on supplies."

Three heads turned to the wreck that was once their helicopter. No need to go on a meaningless scavenging hunt- their supplies had most likely perished with the aircraft.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Valon nodded. She stretched in a dramatic fashion before rising, the rest of her companions following her example.

"We should also buy some new clothes while we're there," she said as they started walking. She pulled at the three chains that kept her top somewhat closed. Only one somehow survived the crash, by some miracle saving her from indecent exposure. Zack agreed, looking at his pants with a pout. Even the thick fabric wasn't spared in the crash. In fact, the only one that still looked practically flawless was Sephiroth, both his coat and pants still in one piece.

"How do you even do that?" Valon huffed after pulling at his sleeve. Sephiroth only grinned.

* * *

The trip to North Corel took them less than an hour, all wildlife scared away by the noise of the crash. Still counting their blessings, the companions entered the town with sounds of relief.

"Let's go to the Inn first," Valon suggested, looking forward to taking a long, hot bath. "We can stock up on supplies tomorrow."

"I'm going to sleep for three days straight," Zack stretched. Valon grimaced, he still walked with a slight limp.

"Are you really okay, Zack?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah," he grinned, comically shaking the offending limb. "Yeah, I am. I think I pulled something, but a hot bath and some sleep will get rid of that."

Valon shook her head in doubt, but decided not to push the issue any further. Despite his goofiness, he was a damned good SOLDIER. He'd tell them if anything was wrong. That decided, she nodded to herself and halted a large man that passed them.

"Excuse me, sir!" she propped her hands on her hips and flashed him a kind smile. The man was kind of intimidating, actually. Taller than even Angeal, and broader too.

"Whaddaya need?" the man responded, not unkind but not polite either.

"We were wondering if you could show us the way to the inn."

"'Course," he nodded as he pointed to the plaza. "It's down dis street on yo left hand side, can't miss it."

Valon smiled. "Thank you kindly, sir!"

The man waved his large hand in front of his face and gave them a toothy grin. "Dun' sweat it," he nodded at the four before taking his leave. They followed his directions, making relieved sounds once more when they found the inn. They entered the establishment and took in the place before continuing. It was small and simple, but cozy. There were two couches situated around a low wooden table and a fireplace was happily crackling in the corner.

"Welcome!" a kind, female voice greeted them, clearly not bothered by their bloodied and beaten appearance. They walked up to the counter and greeted the lady in turn. Then, Sephiroth put down an obnoxious amount of Gil on the counter. "Two rooms and complete privacy, please."

Valon snorted. Subtle.

"Sir, that's way too much for-" the lady started, but Sephiroth interrupted her.

"Keep whatever is left as thanks for your trouble."

"Thank you sir," she stammered, gathering the Gil with a look of disbelief. Then, she walked towards a staircase in the corner. "Right this way, please!"

They followed her upstairs and thanked her when she showed them their rooms. Zack stretched once more when the innkeep was gone. "Dunno 'bout you guys, but I'm beat," he groaned. He put his arm around Cloud and practically dragged him inside their room. "Let's take a shower, Cloud!"

"Together?!" they heard Cloud ask in shock before the door was slammed shut. Valon laughed, but barely was given a second to be entertained. She was harshly grabbed and shoved against the wall before familiar lips captured her own. Sephiroth pressed his body against her roughly, giving her neither time or room to escape his assault. Her body responded as if on instinct, her hips bucking forward at the first contact and her fingers grasping the leather straps crossing his chest before she'd even realized what was going on. When it did dawn on her, she hummed into his mouth to break contact. He didn't care though, as he continued nibbling on her bottom lip. With an amused chuckle she turned her face away from his, laughing again as he started trailing kisses on her jaw.

"We smell like shit, Seph," she snickered.

"Don't care," Sephiroth responded, now sinking his teeth into her collarbone. She couldn't stop the moan from escaping her throat, but shook her head and grabbed his shoulders. She pushed him away from her, his expression reminding her of a child that was denied candy. She let out another laugh before wiggling herself free and entering their room. "I do care. Shower first, okay?"

Sephiroth sighed but nodded eventually. He trailed her into the room and towards the bathroom. She opened the door but huffed when she saw how small it was. "Yeah, no way we're both going to fit in there. You wanna go first?"

"Sure," he said. She turned away from the door, but he grabbed her arm before she could walk away. He stole a quick kiss, soft and gentle this time, before scurrying into the bathroom. He locked it and snorted when he heard Valon laugh loudly. She didn't miss his expression of amusement, so she knocked on the door and made odd sounds to humour him. He made a whale-like noise in return, causing Valon to laugh once more. Gods, they were weird.

Sephiroth's shower was quick, much to Valon's amusement. She slipped inside the bathroom, deciding that she'd take extra long. Just to tease him a little. She stripped out of her clothes and unceremoniously dumped them in the corner, next to a large pile of black leather- Sephiroth hadn't even bothered getting dressed again, the horny bastard, and stepped underneath the warm stream of water. She took the time to wrap her mind around the day's events, feeling herself getting angrier with the second. She was infuriated, but she was also worried. They were close to Jenova, which allowed her to take control of Sephiroth. He could fight the control, so her hold over him wasn't strong yet. But even this small amount had almost killed them all, so what would happen when they came face to face with Jenova?

 _Wait..._

Wait a second! Valon almost slipped in the shower as realization dawned on her. Jenova had almost killed them. Including Sephiroth. Jenova had almost _killed_ Sephiroth. There was no fucking way Jenova would just kill Sephiroth like that. She repeated it in her head over and over. _Jenova wouldn't kill Sephiroth._ She just wouldn't... But then, why-

No, she was asking the wrong questions. She shook her head and took a deep breath. Not why, but who.

She groaned as she felt a headache coming. She shook her head again. No use brooding over it now, but she would have to discuss this with the rest as soon as possible. Should she invite Zack and Cloud over for a meeting? One quick glance at their pile of clothes made her decide against it. With a gentle smile she turned off the shower and dried herself with a fluffy towel before wrapping it around her bare body. She then left the bathroom, swinging her hips with little more purpose as she did. She spotted Sephiroth's naked figure laying on his side on the bed, and it took her all but three steps into his direction to see he was sleeping.

Seriously?

She snorted in humour before she tip-toed towards the bed. She gently brushed a strand of hair out of his face as she regarded his sleeping form. Poor thing must have been tired. She knelt next to the bed and softly caressed his cheek, smiling contently as she just stared at him. Her thumb traced his sculpted eyebrow. Even in sleep it was slightly knitted in worry.

"I love you," she hummed before chuckling to herself. "Hmm, I've never said that to you while you could hear it, have I?" she chuckled again before she rose. She grabbed the blanket and covered him, giving the man some decency. Then, she turned off the lights, threw her towel in a random direction and crawled into bed with her face towards his. She took to caressing his face again, smiling when he sighed contently.

"How can you be so Gods damned horny and then just fall asleep on me?" she giggled. She couldn't blame him, though. It had been a shitty day, after all. But then again, when was the last time they had gotten intimate? She hummed in thought, trying to remember. There was that once right before the terrorist attack on the barracks, but did that count? They were interrupted at the start... No, that one didn't count. Let's see, the few weeks before her escort mission they'd been too busy with the influx of recruits, so they hadn't been in the mood. Which meant...

Months. How many, she didn't even remember. But it had been months. Fuck.

"That's it, I'm waking you up," she grumbled at his sleeping face. Who knows when they'd get another chance? Having sex while running about to save the world didn't sound very likely.

She turned to her back with an annoyed groan. Should she wake him up, though? She knew full well from her own little episodes with the Goddess how punishing it was to be controlled by another mind, so she probably shouldn't... Then again, he was the one that wanted to ravage her in the hallway just now.

"Fuck," she cursed to herself. Her head lolled to the side to stick her tongue out to her betrothed. "You're having a nice fucking nap while I'm here talking to myself," she turned to her side again, frowning when he softly moaned in his sleep. "Okay, that's it," she huffed.

She crawled underneath the blankets, a mischievous smirk plastered on her face. In truth, she had always wanted to do this. Then why hadn't she? The oaf always woke before her, that's why. She snickered softly as she gently grabbed his flaccid cock. He already responded, shifting his hips in his sleep to give her easier access. Again, she snickered. So he had developed instincts to her touch too? Good to know. She played around with his member for a little while, careful not to wake him but firmly enough to make it a little harder. Just so it'd be easier to work with. When she was satisfied, she thoroughly wet her lips and wrapped them around the flesh, gently sucking to ease herself into it. When she'd found some comfort she started sucking harder, bobbing her head up and down in an agonizingly slow pace. Well, it probably would have been agonizing had he been awake. His body did respond to it though, his hips bucking ever so slightly with every move she made. But he still wasn't awake. She huffed before she started sucking harder. She grabbed the base with her hand and started pumping in the same rhythm as her head.

Finally, she heard some soft groans welling up. Almost awake. With her free hand, she started playing with his balls, gently massaging them. That seemed to do the trick. Another groan, louder this time, and a heartbeat later the blanket was lifted. Sephiroth stared at her in confusion, her mouth still very much wrapped around his now hard dick. She tilted her head, releasing his member with an audible pop before giving him a sweet smile.

"Hi!"

"...hi."

She gave another teasing pump with her hand and giggled at the face he made. Arousal and confusion were a funny mix, apparently.

"What are you doing?" he asked with a hoarse voice.

"What's it look like?" she responded innocently before licking her lips again. He just snorted in humour before lowering his head back on the pillow again. He dropped the blanket on her, leaving her in the dark once more. "Hey!" she laughed. She released his cock and pulled the blanket off of her. She threw it to the side and planted her fists on her very naked hips. Sephiroth's arm lay over his eyes and his mouth was slightly agape. Probably still trying to properly wake up. He hadn't protested though, so she shrugged and lowered her face to his cock again. She teasingly licked the slit and played with his head with her tongue, grinning when his breathing became heavier. She continued teasing him for a little while, but took pity on him when he croaked something inaudible. It definitely sounded desperate though. Her lips wrapped around his cock again and she lowered herself as far as she could before she got back to sucking. She kept a slow pace at first, but grew more bold the more he responded to her touch. She quickened the rhythm the louder his groans became. His hips started bucking again, much more needy than he usually was. It made her want to try something she hadn't done before, his responses making her more adventurous than she usually was. She took a deep breath and lowered herself more and more, relaxing her throat as she eased his dick deeper inside. It was slightly uncomfortable, but that was a given seeing how big he was. When she'd reached her limit, she swallowed hard, and his response made the discomfort more than worth it.

He cursed, moaned, hissed, all at once. She hummed contently before swallowing again, this time he croaked her name as he buried his face in his hands. She wanted to try sucking it like this, but before she could, his hips bucked hard, causing her to gag. She pulled herself away as if burned, coughing with teary eyes. Why did she always end in tears when sucking his dick? Jeeze. She cleared her throat a couple of times to get rid of the tingling sensation before lowering herself again, wanting to pick up where she had left off, but was firmly grabbed by her shoulders instead.

"Enough," Sephiroth hissed. Slightly taken aback by the sudden mood swing, Valon stared at him with raised eyebrows. He sat upright and pulled her close, capturing her still wet lips in a needy, sloppy kiss. "Enough," he repeated, but more gently this time. He pushed her down onto her back and laced his fingers through hers before laying on top of her. He started nibbling on her neck, which she craned to give him better access.

"You fell asleep," she huffed. He bit down in response before lifting his head.

"You took forever in the shower," he retorted before pressing his lips to hers again. He gave her a few soft kisses before going back to her neck, gently chewing on the already reddening flesh.

"Did you like that?" Valon smiled as she took to stroking his hair.

"Being woken up like that?" he asked in between kisses.

"The other thing," she giggled, causing Sephiroth to hum in humour.

"Yes to both."

"Good," she squeezed his hand before allowing herself to enjoy his touches. They were gentle, slow, deliberate. His fingers traced her figure, finding the most sensitive spots with practised ease as his talented mouth started working on her nipple, the combined sensations sending shivers down her spine. He grabbed her thighs as his face made its way down, going lower and lower but leaving not an inch of skin unkissed or untouched. When he reached her bellybutton, his tongue made a quick dip inside.

"That tickles," she giggled. Sephiroth only hummed again before continuing his path downwards, stopping only inches above his intended target. He took to nibbling on the soft bump of flesh there as his hands massaged her thighs, working their way to the inside. Valon couldn't contain a moan, his hands, his tongue, all so close and yet he didn't touch her where she most wanted him to.

"Gods, no teasing Seph," she huffed. Sephiroth looked up at her with a smug grin plastered on his face. "It's payback."

Valon groaned. Asshole. Okay, she probably deserved it. Scrap that. She _definitely_ deserved it. But her previous statement still stood. She groaned again when Sephiroth didn't lower even further, but instead climbed on top of her again. She shuddered at the feeling of his dick moving against her thigh as he climbed up, the anticipation nearly killing her.

He flashed another grin before kissing her, gently lapping at her lips before she opened them with a huff- desperately wanting to tease him back but so not worth the wait. She moaned into his mouth as he started moving his hips in a steady rhythm, the tip of his cock a hair's width away from touching her between her legs with every move he made. She eagerly kissed back, dancing a familiar dance as she felt more warmth pooling in her groin with every second that passed.

"If you don't- stop teasing- I'll cum the second- you enter," she hissed in between kisses, causing Sephiroth to chuckle in her mouth before pulling back and stopping his movement completely. "What can I say, I'm a control freak in bed, aren't I?" he shrugged.

Gods, was it payback for that? Valon let out a long, _long_ groan.

"And besides, what if I want to make you cum multiple times?" he whispered into her ear, causing her to shudder. She playfully swatted the back of his head and opened her mouth to retort, but before she could do so he picked up his movement again, this time an inch closer, just enough for his member to brush her clit every other roll of his hips. Instead of words, a moan now escaped her throat. She desperately bucked her hips, trying to get it to touch her more. Again, Sephiroth chuckled, the low rumble in her ear causing her to whine his name. She sounded pathetic, begging for cock like a common slut, but she didn't care. Hell yeah, she was begging for his dick. _Desperately_.

"Gods damned, Sephiroth, fuck me already," she hissed. Sephiroth shook his head, but did decide to take pity on her. Just a little. He lowered again, positioning his face between her legs as he pulled her thighs over his shoulder. He closed in on his target, chuckling when her legs shuddered against his shoulders. First, he pressed a few soft, gentle kisses around her clit. He kept that last act of teasing up until she whined his name again. Perfectly content with how that sounded, he lapped at the sensitive nub. His movements were deliberate and slow, a gentle lick, sucking softly, kissing lightly, and repeat, and it drove her absolutely mad. She writhed underneath him, her legs shaking with every touch. And when he started lapping with more enthusiasm, she moaned loudly and bucked her hips, her entire body shaking in ecstasy, the entire thing over way sooner than he'd liked. Hmm. So he shouldn't have teased her that long, he thought with a snort.

He gave her a moment to catch her breath as he crawled on top of her again. "That was quick," he said with an amused tone as he leant his forehead on hers.

"Told you so," she sighed. Sephiroth hummed before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. She caressed his back, tracing the muscles all the way down to his ass and took to massaging the flesh, nails digging into it every other movement or so.

"Ready for the next?" he grinned, fully intending to keep to what he said. She just slapped his ass in response. He captured her lips before grabbing his almost painfully throbbing cock- that was the downside of teasing, you had to suffer through it, too. But it was worth it. Sephiroth pressed another kiss on her forehead before guiding his dick inside, slowly pressing in. He never liked this specific part. She was tight, wonderfully tight, which felt so damn good for him, but was an ordeal for her. It hurt her. Every single time, it did. The discomfort only lasted a few short moments, as soon as he was fully pressed inside she'd adjust the angle and she'd be ready to go, but the way her eyebrows knitted and her breath hitched in her throat when he pushed in... It hurt him, too. He gently caressed her face with his thumb, pressing his forehead more firmly against hers in what hopefully was a comforting act. "I'm sorry," he whispered, but she shook her head. She groaned when he was fully inside, the wiggling of her hips underneath him causing him to press his face into the crook of her neck while whispering another soft apology. She stopped wiggling and her arms wrapped around his head, holding him as close to her as she could. Again, she shook her head. "It's okay, I'm okay now."

Yet, he waited a few short moments before moving. He listened closely to her breathing, and only when it was even did he slowly roll his hip backwards. The first few thrusts were slow, almost painfully so, but it helped her ease into it. He grit his teeth, trying to keep control of himself and not fuck her senseless the second he'd entered. Her fingers laced through his hair, tugging at it with every roll of his hips, so he dared to pick up the pace. It didn't take long before her ragged breathing turned into moaning, so he quickened his pace again, trying to find a rhythm that was good for the both of them.

He groaned into her ear when she started moving her hips, always shyly and cautious at first, but those inhibitions were thrown into the wind after a few thrusts. He kissed her neck, bit down hard enough to draw blood and groaned when she moaned. Feeling himself coming closer to the edge, he lowered his hand and started rubbing her clit while slowing his pace, trying to get her to cum again before he did. He grit his teeth, trying to hold back, but he couldn't hold it much longer. He stopped moving, much to Valon's surprise. "What's wrong?" she breathed, but he shook his head. He took a few deep breaths, trying to get back in control. When the burning sensation in his groin eased he slid out of her, causing her to moan in surprise. He plopped down next to her and shifted to his side, gently pushing against her shoulder to make her do the same. She got the hint as she rolled to her side as well, her back to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, using his knee to nudge between her legs. Again, she got the hint as she lifted her leg and hooked it behind his before lowering her own hand to position his member. He carefully, gently eased back into her again, but she rolled her own hips in response, forcing a hiss through his gritted teeth.

"I'm okay now, you can move," she breathed. He nodded in understanding and did as he was told. He lifted the arm that lay underneath her upwards so he could caress her breasts and play with her nipples as he picked up the pace again, while the other lowered back to the nub between her legs. He rubbed less gently this time, the heat already pooling in his abdomen. "Come on, love," he groaned in her ear. "I can't-" he swallowed his words as he grit his teeth again, trying desperately to hold his orgasm back. Her arm snaked upwards, grabbing his hair as she cursed. "Seph, I'm-" she threw her head back, craning her neck as she moaned. "Sephiroth," she whispered his name breathlessly before he felt her walls tighten. One more thrust, and she was done. "Oh Gaia, Seph," she moaned when she came again. The tightening of her walls, her breathless voice, knowing he had done all that to her, it was enough to send him over the edge as well. He buried his face in the crook of her neck again, groaning her name as he bucked his hips hard one more time. She whimpered weakly as he filled her, the heat almost too much to bear.

Sephiroth rolled his hips a few more times, riding out their orgasms as they caught their breath. He wrapped his arms around her again and pulled her close, placing gentle pecks on her cheeks before pulling out.

" _Ah_ \- oh, Gods," Valon's eyelids fluttered as he slid out. He placed a kiss on her jawline before rolling away, causing her to groan discontentedly. She lolled her head to the side and looked at him from underneath heavy eyelids. "Mhhwhere you goin'?" she mumbled.

"We didn't use a condom," he shrugged as he walked to the bathroom. Fuck, his legs felt like jelly. He grabbed a wash cloth and turned on the tap, waiting patiently for the water to warm up before wetting the cloth. He cleaned himself first before wringing out the cloth, cleaning it and wetting it again before turning off the tap and making his way back to the bed, where Valon still lay in a post-orgasm haze. He chuckled as he grabbed her thigh and pulled her legs open, thoroughly cleaning away the sticky mess he'd made. When he was done, he tossed the cloth to the ground without much care and grabbed the blanket before laying down next to her again. He covered them with the blanket and pulled her close, nuzzling his face against the back of her head. She hummed contently.

"Every time," she sighed happily. "Every time when I think it can't get any better..."

Sephiroth chuckled. "Glad to prove you wrong," he smiled as he kissed her shoulder. She turned in his embrace and scooted as close as she could. She buried her face in his chest and hummed again. "You made me drool a little."


	33. XXXIII: Blade and Soul

AN: Having some fun exploring fresh ideas (and maybe a couple of secret little headcanons I've been toying around with, which I want to feel out a little the next few chapters. I know they probably wouldn't make too much sense in the actual FF7 universe, but in this AU it does, so there!). I know I said I wouldn't be writing much since I'm sick, but it turns out writing is actually incredibly therapeutic and a really good distraction. I should've known. Hmm.

Also, I just adore mama Strife. She's precious.

 **XXXIII: Blade and Soul**

Valon rolled out of bed with a regretful sigh. She so did not want to leave, but Gods, she was hungry. She tip-toed to the bathroom and put on Sephiroth's coat before silently leaving the room. She crept downstairs and smiled when she saw a crown of golden spikes poking over the back of the couch.

"Good evening," she greeted Cloud with a smile. He looked up, gave her a silly grin and scooted over so she could sit next to him. "Evening."

"Had a good nap?" Valon asked as she curled up in the corner, the brown fabric somewhat itchy on her bare legs. Cloud nodded. "Way too short though."

"Hungry?"

"Yeah," the cadet agreed. "I just asked the innkeep if they still serve dinner. She should be back any moment now."

"Hmm, good," Valon grinned. "I'm starving!"

They sat in silence for a while, the atmosphere not awkward but not exactly relaxed either. Valon opened her mouth a couple of times, but snapped her jaw shut before any words escaped her. Oddly enough, she had no clue what to talk about with the youth. However, the innkeep saved her ass as she walked up to them. The lady nodded at Cloud first, then turned to Valon. "Good evening, miss. I was about to serve your companion dinner, would you like some?"

"Yes please," Valon stretched dramatically. "Oh, and a pack of cigarettes please."

"Right away, miss," the lady bowed stiffly, obviously not used to guests from higher places, and scurried back to what Valon assumed to be the kitchen.

"Do people always act like this around you guys?" Cloud pouted. Before Valon had joined him, he'd had a very nice conversation with the innkeep. He learned her name was Nima. She had two daughters age six and four and had lost her husband two years ago. Nima had told him about North Corel, about the mining business and a man named Dyne, who was like an elder to the village despite his young age. She had been open and fun, a good distraction and welcome company. Now that Valon was here though, Nima was stiff and even a little scared, he thought. Not that he was any good at reading people, but it's what his gut told him.

"They do," Valon nodded. "Less around Zack, but that's just Zack."

"Are people scared of SOLDIER?"

"Hmm, they are. Especially in the slums," Valon sighed, grimacing at her memories. "They fear the eyes, the power, the unnaturality. Not everyone does, though. In Junon, for example, the civillians welcome us with open arms."

"But why are they scared of you now? I mean, you don't even have your sword on you," Cloud scratched his neck, failing to comprehend the thought. Sure, he'd always been intimidated by SOLDIERs, but he'd never feared them. But even back home, people were scared.

"I'll tell you when I know," Valon shrugged.

"It must be nice to have fan clubs though!" Cloud tried to change the subject to something more cheerful. Valon laughed.

"Sometimes, yeah. It's good for your ego, if anything."

"Tell me about those clubs!"

"Why, wanna join mine?" she stuck her tongue out playfully before continuing. "Nah, fan clubs aren't as intense as they sound. They mostly talk about us on their forums, try to guess about our backgrounds and keep each other up to date about any new happenings surrounding us. Sephiroth's fan club once rioted though."

"Rioted?" Cloud's eyes widened. "Why?"

Again, Valon laughed. "He got engaged. Fangirls threw a tantrum over it, but Sephiroth yelled at them and they scurried back home within the hour."

"He yelled at them?" Cloud snorted. How odd. He wanted to comment on that statement, but he lost his train of thought as Nima walked up to them. She held two steaming plates and set them in front of them with stiff movements.

"Relax," Valon smiled gently. Nima curtly nodded, chuckled with embarrassment and with a quick "enjoy your dinner!" she was gone again. The Lieutenant didn't heed the innkeep any more thought as she grabbed her plate, her mouth already watering from the smell of cooked meat.

"Dig in," she grinned at Cloud before doing just that. They ate in silence, all but shovelling the food into their mouths.

"Jeeze, chewing is a _thing_ , people!" they heard a voice from behind them. Valon smiled at Zack and greeted him with her mouth still full. She forcibly swallowed her bite before beckoning him over. "Want a bite?"

"Gods above, I thought you'd never ask!" the raven-haired SOLDIER snickered as he plopped down next to her, the small couch now very cramped. Zack stole her fork and took a large bite. "Man, I'm hungry."

"No surprise there, it's past dinner time already," Valon chuckled as she handed the Second her plate. "Eat up, I'm full."

"Liar," Zack called her on her bullshit, but he didn't complain. He started shovelling the food down as classless as his companions had done and finished the plate in record time.

"So, how's your leg?" Valon asked as she grabbed the pack of cigarettes Nima had put on the table. She lit one and took a deep drag.

"A lot better," Zack belched, ignoring Cloud yelling a humoured _"gross!"_. "Told ya I just pulled something, no biggie."

Valon hummed. "You still look a little off to me. Spill it, Fair."

Zack raised his hands defensively. "Just had a weird dream 's all!"

"What kind?" the Lieutenant asked, genuinely interested. If Zack said something was weird, it was _weird_.

"Angeal gave me a sword of my own," he grinned. "I swear to Gaia, she was a beauty. Looked a lot like the Buster, but the tip was more curved and the metal was darker, almost black."

"Mythril?"

"Aye, I think so."

"Hmm. How was it a weird dream though?"

"It was weird because I learned her name the second I touched it!" his eyes widened. Valon chuckled. Okay, that _was_ weird.

"I don't get it?" Cloud rose his eyebrows, causing the two SOLDIERs to burst out laughing. Seriously, what was so special about naming your sword? When he asked just that, the two burst out laughing again.

"We don't name our swords," Valon shook her head, suddenly missing the comforting weight of her own blade at her hip. That statement only seemed to confuse Cloud more though, so she took a deep drag of her cigarette before she elaborated. "A weapon, a good one, is said to be blessed by one of the Thirteen - that's the Knights of Round for you. When the Thirteen bless a weapon, they grant it a soul. This soul has a name, thus the weapon has a name."

Cloud rose his eyebrows again. Then how did you know the name? It made no sense to him.

"When a weapon thinks you are worthy, it in turn blesses you with a special ability," Zack took over where Valon had left off. "It's what we call a Limit Break. Technically speaking, the more weapons bless you, the more Limit Breaks you will master. It's pretty impossible though, since most people won't even get one blessing, let alone multiple," the SOLDIER Second shrugged. Cloud nodded in understanding, but he still didn't understand where the names came from. He decided to just ask. "But how do you learn its name?"

"Once the weapon acknowledges you, you'll just know," Valon pursed her lips. Huh, odd. Cloud sank back in his corner and crossed his arms over his chest. "But... But how do you know when a weapon is blessed by the Thirteen?"

The SOLDIERs laughed once more. "You just know," Zack grinned. "Wait, can we show him?" he turned to Valon. She rose her eyebrow and pursed her lips in thought for a moment but nodded eventually. "They're next to the door. Silent, Seph it still sleeping."

"Yes, ma'am!" Zack jumped up and dashed up the stairs. Cloud looked at Valon in question, but she just nodded in encouragement. Not a minute later, Zack all but flew down the stairs again. He held three blades, two of them causing Cloud's stomach to swoop in nervousness. There's no way...

"This," Valon accepted Zack's blade, a standard-issue broadsword. "Is a soulless blade. You know what they're like, but I want you to hold it nonetheless," she flipped the blade, the hilt pointed at him. He accepted it carefully, already familiar with the way it felt in his hand. He still didn't quite understand, but he agreed - there was absolutely nothing special about this blade.

"This is my own blade. It has a soul, but it has yet to acknowledge me," she accepted her own black- and white sword from Zack, holding it almost as if she worshipped it. She sighed deeply before handing it over to Cloud, but he hesitated to accept it. "I can't..."

"It's okay, hold it," she nodded another encouragement. He took a deep breath and wrapped his fingers around the hilt, flipping it around in his palm a few times before gripping it tightly. At first, it felt just like Zack's. It was steadier and lighter- obviously made for speed over strength. The centre point was perfect and the material was clearly top-notch, even with his limited knowledge he just knew it was a fantastic sword - but he didn't understand what they had meant. He turned to Zack, who was staring at him with a calculating look. What was he looking at him like that for? What-

Oh. _Oh_. His eyes widened as he felt it. A tingling sensation threatened to numb his fingertips, a force pulsating rhythmically underneath his skin. It was like a heartbeat, like steady breathing... It felt alive. His eyes darted from Zack to Valon and back. Yeah, he got it. He definitely got it. He quickly handed the blade back to Valon, feeling as if he'd violated the sword with his touch alone. Valon smiled at him again before accepting the third and final blade from Zack's hand. Cloud felt in awe, seeing how they handled the massive sword. They way Zack handed it over to her, it was like a ceremony, like a prayer. They had the utmost respect for the blade, and it unsettled him. Before presenting it to him, Valon gently stroked the hilt of the katana, closed her eyes for a short moment and dipped her head. Then, she turned to him and held it out.

"I can't-" he stammered, vehemently shaking his head. As if he wasn't already intimidated by the sword alone, the way the SOLDIERs handled it made him absolutely terrified of it now.

"Don't be afraid of it," Valon encouraged him. Yeah, too late for that. Shit. He looked up at Zack, who just nodded at him. Okay, he could do this. It was just a sword. General Sephiroth's sword, yeah, but still. Just a sword. He took a deep breath and stretched his arm to accept it, but the second his fingertips brushed the hilt he froze. Holy shit. It was like a wave crashing into him, like a thousand voices whispering in his ear. He felt his own heart pounding wildly as multiple others joined the beat, the rhythm like war drums on a battlefield. And yet, it was silent and warm, calm and soothing. Almost like a lullaby, threatening to overtake all of his senses.

With a gasp, he pulled his hand back. "What the hell?"

"That's the Masamune for ya," Zack grinned. Valon nodded. "This blade is extraordinary. We believe it has been blessed by all of the Thirteen instead of one."

"How does he handle it?" Cloud breathed. He was barely able to touch it. He couldn't imagine actually handling it.

"That's the General for ya," Zack snorted. Valon nodded solemnly before flashing Cloud another encouraging smile. "You did well, very much so actually. When I first touched it, it knocked me out cold for a solid ten minutes."

"Seriously?" Cloud rose his eyebrows. The Lieutenant laughed. "Yeah, it did. I had never even touched a blessed blade before, let alone get skewered by one."

" _Skewered?!_ " Cloud gasped, the hairs in his neck rising.

"She's exaggerating," an amused, low rumble sounded from their backs. Cloud whirled around, feeling caught in the act, but Sephiroth just stared at them with a hint of a grin. "It was just a scratch. Training mishap," the General shrugged before walking up to them. He turned to Valon with a reprimanding look. "So you steal my jacket _and_ my sword?"

Valon scratched her cheek guiltily. "It was for teaching purposes!"

"The jacket, too?"

"Nah, your jacket is nice and warm!" she flashed him a cocky smile before snuggling into the oversized article as if proving her point. "You should probably put something on though, your chest is distracting."

Sephiroth snorted before sitting down on the second, empty couch. Cloud followed his every move with wide eyes. Wasn't he angry that they'd taken his sword without permission?

As if reading his mind, the General dismissed his concerns with a curt shake of his head. "I was already awake when Zachary snuck in. I figured I'd humour you all by pretending I wasn't."

"Wha?!" Zack rose his arms in overly dramatic shock. Sephiroth disregarded the outburst and leant back in his seat, jade eyes still locked on Cloud. "So?"

"So-" Cloud's voice cracked. He felt a blush creeping across his face. "Sir?"

"Sephiroth," the General reminded him. "So, did you learn anything?"

Cloud slowly nodded. He'd never heard it before - blades having souls. It sounded so ridiculous at first, but there was no denying. "It was intense," he shuddered, his fingers still tingling from where he had touched the Masamune. Yet, he had heard of the Thirteen, of the Knights of Round before, but he couldn't place it. Again, he decided to just ask. "Who are the Knights of Round exactly? Are they Gods?"

"Yes and no," Sephiroth answered. "You know how SOLDIER Firsts get their own, small platoon?"

Cloud nodded slowly. "There's the Silver Elite, the Red Leather, the Keepers of Honour and the Monochrome Valkyries, right?"

"Correct," Sephiroth's voice held a tone of approval, causing Cloud's heart to flutter. "These squads are there to do our bidding if we ourselves can't, but also to protect us when we are unable to. They're our guardians, you could say."

"And the Knights of Round are just like that?" Cloud started to understand where the story was going.

"Again, correct. The Thirteen are believed to be the guardians of the Gods, protecting them if need be."

"What would the Gods need protection from, though?" Cloud shook his head. This was getting more and more confusing. Zack laughed. "We have absolutely no clue. Nobody truly knows what the Thirteen are exactly, but this is what we believe them to be. No way to know for sure, though."

Valon nodded, an amused grin gracing her features. "Can't exactly go and ask them, now can we?"

"But what if you could?" Sephiroth shrugged, causing three heads to turn to him in confusion.

"Say what now?" Valon rose her eyebrows, but Sephiroth shook his head. "That's a lesson for another time. Poor Cloud can only process so many lessons in one evening."

"Pfft," Valon sank back in her seat, her arms crossed over her chest. Well, wasn't that just frustrating. She closed her eyes with a tired huff as she leant to the side, her head leaning on Zack's shoulder. The SOLDIER Second turned a little so she could lay more comfortably. "You okay?" he asked softly. Valon nodded against him. "Just tired, didn't get much sleep just now."

"So we noticed," Cloud blurted out before he knew it. He slapped his hands before his mouth as three pairs of Mako eyes turned to him. "You heard us?" Sephiroth asked, his voice monotone as ever. He almost sounded bored, actually. Silence filled the room, save for the happy crackling of the fireplace. Cloud didn't dare answer, averting his eyes.

"Well I'll be damned," Valon laughed loudly, lifting the thick atmosphere with a loud bark. She sat upright again and poked Cloud in his side, causing him to squirm ticklishly. She wanted to say more, but Sephiroth silenced them as he cleared his throat. "Valon, does Devon know our arrival will be delayed?"

Valon shot up with a dramatic gasp. She cursed as she vehemently shook her head. "Any of you got your PHS on you?"

Sephiroth fished his out of the pockets of his leather pants and threw it at her. She snatched it out of the air with ease and quickly dialled the number she knew by heart. It rang twice before Devon's voice came from the other side. "General?"

"It's me, Dev," she replied.

"Valon! Where are you guys? I thought you were supposed to arrive at sunset."

"Yeah, about that..." she relayed the events of the day, but left out why their helicopter had crashed in the first place. She didn't want to make her best friend worry just yet. When she finished her tale, the Turk huffed a long, long stream of profanities. Valon barked a laugh at the creativity, but quickly turned serious again. "We're going to try and see if we can get any transport up the mountains in the morning."

"Good. Lemme know if- Hey, huh?" his voice suddenly sounded distant. Valon rose her eyebrows in humour as she heard missus Strife's voice in the background. There was some rummaging before she was greeted by a hearty female voice. "Good evening, missus Strife!" she flashed a grin in Cloud's direction, who sat upright the second he heard his mum's name.

"Good evening, dear! Oh, and call me Eleanor!"

"How have you been, miss?"

"Oh, just fine! I hear you're not coming over for dinner tonight?"

"No ma'am, sorry about that. We had a little mishap with our aircraft," Valon snickered.

"Oh, no! Are you and your friends unharmed?"

"Yes we are, thank you for asking. If all goes well, we should be able to come over for dinner tomorrow, if that's okay with you?"

"Of course, dear! Any time, any time at all."

"Thank you miss. Oh, I also have a little surprise for you!" the Lieutenant winked at Cloud, who sunk back in his seat with a poorly masked smile.

"Oh, well, I can't wait! Take care, dear!"

"You too, miss," at that, the call was ended. Valon threw the PHS back at Sephiroth and ruffled Cloud's spikes. "Your mama loves me!"

"My mama loves everyone," he snorted. A soft chuckle sounded, but after that they went silent once more. Valon closed her eyes again. Now that she was no longer distracted with conversation, her mind started to fill with her conclusion of earlier. She had already decided that it had not been Jenova that had taken control of Sephiroth. Again, she asked herself who else it could possible be. She did have a nagging feeling, a terrible, gut-wrenching suspicion that made her blood boil. She tried to seek out the Goddess, whom she knew was dwelling somewhere deep within her being, but no matter at how many mental strings she pulled, she couldn't find her.

So, she started screaming. Mentally, of course.

But again, no response. She let out an annoyed huff, causing Zack to poke her in the arm. "Are you _sure_ you're okay?"

She sighed as she sat upright again, three pairs of eyes burning on her. She didn't want to lie to them, so she simply shook her head. "I'm not," she rose and grabbed her sword. "I'm gonna go for a walk," she explained as she walked towards the door. She quickly slipped outside before any one of them could follow her. With a few long strides she made her way towards the gates, but before she could walk out of town a gruff voice halted her.

"Yo, miss, jus' a sec!"

She turned with an annoyed huff, but relaxed her posture once she saw who had called her out. It was the same man she had asked for directions before. He beckoned her over and she curiously obeyed.

"You's from the Shinra, aren'cha?" he asked, again, not unkind but not polite either. She slowly nodded, knowing the people from North Corel had no qualms with the Shinra, but cautions nonetheless. "Can you come with me to town hall? Got someone there that wants to speak wi'cha." She slowly nodded again and followed the man to the other side of town. Her fingers had instinctively wrapped around the hilt of her blade. The man turned towards the largest building and opened the door for her, letting her enter first. The grip on her blade tightened. There were a lot of scenarios she could think of - a group attack, an angry mayor, mostly negative at least. The last thing she had expected was this.

A young girl, perhaps a few years Cloud's elder, sat on a leather couch happily sipping steaming tea. She had long, brown hair pulled up into a ponytail and wore a flowy blue dress - a stark contrast against the dark interior of the town hall. The girl looked up from her cup and flashed her an absolutely beaming smile. She put her tea aside and rose from her seat. "Thank you, mister Wallace!" she grinned at the man behind Valon. He just nodded with a goofy smile on his face before closing the door, leaving the two women alone.

"You're Lieutenant Harper, aren't you?" the girl was still smiling. Valon was charmed.

"Who's asking?" she rose her eyebrows. The question held no anger or annoyance, just genuine confusion. The girl giggled and walked up to her, extending her hand in greeting. "I'm glad it's you, the Planet specifically asked for you. It saves me some of the hassle, don't you agree?"

"Huh?"

"Oh, right, where are my manners. Ah, I'm sorry," she giggled again, turning her back and sitting down on the couch once more. "Tea?"

Valon shook her head. The girl shrugged and beckoned her over. "It's good tea, though!"

"I don't... what?"

"Ah, sorry," the girl repeated. "I'm a little nervous around SOLDIERs. But I really needed to speak with you, you see-"

"Hold it just a second," Valon rose her hand to stop the girl from blabbering, still confused above anything. "Start at the beginning. Who are you?"

" _Oh!_ " the girl smiled at her again. "Well, my name is Aerith!"


End file.
